WLNs in the 5G Era

Wireless Local Networks present many unique and dynamic challenges, yet their utilization continues to rise. As a technology that combines relatively low costs and ease of deployment, it supports the expansion of local wireless infrastructures, which encompass the Internet of Things (IoT), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) networks, Clouds of Sensing (CoS), and Software Defined Networks (SDNs). With over 5 billion devices generating data and spurring an exponential rise in mobile data traffic, mobile operators need to examine new ways for improving coverage and network capacity to cope with the growth of WLNs. Next generation 5G networks are expected to be deployed by 2020, with design targets focusing on increased peak data rates, network capacity, and smart connectivity. 

The focus of this year's workshop on WLNs will be the characteristics of 5G networks and their interaction with WLNs, the Small Cell Networks as a paradigm that promises to extend the capabilities of 5G, the technical design issues and challenges for 5G and Small Cells, and the services that 5G is expected to provide to wireless local networks and the future Internet.

The WLN workshop, which is held in conjunction with the IEEE conference on Local Computer Networks (LCN), created, and continues to create, a platform for researchers and practitioners from academia and the industry  to share and discuss ideas, challenges, and perspectives related to the design and deployment of wireless local networks and how they are emerging as a technology that enables as well as creates the future Internet.