FOKUS FUSECO Forum 2015
Nov. 5–6, 2015 – Berlin, Germany

Words from the Chair

The international FOKUS FUSECO FORUM (FFF) series represents a follow-up to the famous international FOKUS IMS Workshop series held from 2004 to 2009, which discussed Next Generation Network (NGN) technologies and emerging multimedia services enabled by the IP Multimedia System (IMS). However, within the FFF series IMS technology represents just one important control platform for human-to-human multimedia communications, such as Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and Rich Communication Services (RCS), within the overall converging telecommunication and Internet infrastructure. Thus we started in 2010 to consider increasingly more the impacts of alternative control and service delivery platform technologies and new emerging application domains inspired by internet technologies, which will be delivered seamlessly via different wireless broadband networks onto smartphones, tablet PCs, and other emerging mobile internet devices. In the last years we also have witnessed the rising notion of the Future Internet (FI) as a container for advances in the fields of Internet of Services (IoS), Internet of Things (IoT) and Network of the Future (NoF). Based on the requirement for a fifth generation mobile radio network, 5G, and the latest developments for the optimization and virtualization of the network, new technologies like SDN and NFV are setting the ground for the internet of tomorrow. During the last years it has also become clear, that a new player has entered the communication market: The machines which not only wish to communicate with us and among each other, but also take advantage from the new internet and telecommunication developments to learn from each other and to build the base for the industry of tomorrow. The 6th FUSECO Forum centers around these exciting developments and directions: “Digital Convergence and Seamless Connectivity for everyone and everything – Bringing 5G, SDN/NFV and M2M/IOT together”.

The first FOKUS FUSECO FORUM “Business and Technical Challenges of Seamless Service Provision in Converging Next Generation Fixed and Mobile Networks” held in October 2010 in Berlin (Germany) was concentrating mainly on investigating the challenges and potentialities of the new mobile and core network infrastructure and its relationship with IMS services and Over-The-Top (OTT) internet applications and has attracted 150 experts from 21 nations.


The second FOKUS FUSECO Forum held in the new Fraunhofer Forum in the heart of Berlin on November 17 & 18, 2011 was themed “From FMC toward Total Convergence: New Applications and Platforms for Converging Mobile and Fixed Next Generation Networks and the Emerging Future Internet” and we looked at the impacts of these Future Internet advances on NGN infrastructure and service evolution. 200 people from 30 nations attended that event.


The third FOKUS FUSECO Forum themed “Convergence of Human-to-Human and Machine-to-Machine Communications within Emerging Open Smart City ICT Infrastructures – Using Open APIs, RCS, IMS, MTC, EPC, and LTE as Enablers for Emerging Future Internet Application Domains” was held again in the Fraunhofer Institute FOKUS in Berlin on November 15 & 16, 2012. We managed to attract 200 delegates from more than 30 nations and we looked much deeper at the enablement of Smart Cities by appropriate ICT infrastructures, namely IMS, M2M (Machine Type Communications - MTC), and OTT platforms above different mobile broadband networks interconnected by emerging EPC core networks.


The fourth FFF themed “Smart Communications Platforms for Seamless Smart City Applications” was held in Berlin on November 28 & 29, 2013 looking at Fixed and Mobile Next Generation Networks Evolution towards virtualized network control and service platforms and Seamless Cloud-based H2H and M2M Applications. Participation level increased again to around 250 participants from over 28 nations discussing Network Virtualization and Open Flow, cloud based human-to-human (H2H) and machine-to-machine (M2M) service provision, as well as recent WebRTC and HTML5 advances.


The fifth FFF themed “Cloud-based ICT Platforms and Virtualized Networks for flexible Ecosystem enablement within Smart Cities” was held in Berlin on November 13 & 14, 2014 looking at the impacts of Cloud technologies on all levels of Smart Systems ranging from emerging 5G and Software Defined Networks (SDNs) up to virtualized network control and Cloud-based Service Delivery Platforms supporting IoT/M2M as well as multimedia Web Realtime Control (WebRTC) Applications. Participation level was again around 230 participants from over 31 nations discussing new trends such as Network Evolution towards 5G, NFV and SDN/Open Flow; Internet of Things (IoT) / M2M; Cloud-based Networks and Service Platforms; as well as recent advances in the provision of Open Smart City Testbeds.

For more information please see the 5th FOKUS FUSECO Forum event minutes!

The upcoming FFF15 themed “Digital Convergence and Seamless Connectivity for everyone and everything – Bringing 5G, SDN/NFV and M2M/IOT together” will be held again in the Fraunhofer Institute FOKUS in Berlin on November 5 and 6, 2015. This time we will look at the impacts of Cloud technologies on all levels of Smart Systems ranging from emerging 5G and Software Defined Networks (SDNs) up to virtualized network control (NFV) and Cloud-based Service Delivery Platforms supporting IoT/M2M. So again we want to follow our tradition and incorporate new trends within the established tutorial and workshop streams, such as the network evolution towards a seamless connectivity for everyone and everything based on 5G, NFV and SDN/Open Flow; Cloud-based Networks and Service Platform and the Internet of Things (IoT) / M2M, as well as recent advances towards the Factory of the Future, Industry 4.0 and Smart Cities.

Following our proven two day event structure we will provide on Day 1, in the morning, two tutorials, which introduce the network evolution towards the 5G environment driven by NFV and SDN, providing an overview of use cases and technology taking into consideration the radio, core and management of the network, as well as a detailed perspective on IoT/M2M, Data and Cyber Physical Systems for the Factory of the Future, Industry 4.0 and Smart Cities.

In the following three interactive afternoon workshops international manufacturers and operators will discuss “Towards the 5G Environment”, “Industry 4.0”, and “M2M Platform Convergence for Smart Cities”.

A social event in the evening will enable delegates to continue technical discussions and come to know each other in a unique location in Berlin, attendees will not forget.

On Day 2 we will run the international conferences, where global analysts, standard bodies, and operators will report on the recent experiences and expectations around 5G, NFV, SDN, M2M/IoT and Industry 4.0 platforms, services, and ecosystems from a global perspective. Alongside this program and during the breaks, the attendees will enjoy again the exhibition of our sponsors and the newest FOKUS OpenXXX toolkit demonstrations.

Whether you are already part of the FOKUS family or whether you may plan to visit us for the first time, I am convinced, that you will enjoy two very interesting days in the vibrant city of Berlin, where you will gain new insights, have interesting expert talks and make new friends from all over the world.

Thus I hope you will find this program interesting and to see you to our fifth international FOKUS FUSECO Forum in Berlin, Germany, on November 5 & 6, 2015.

Yours sincerely,

Prof. Dr. Thomas Magedanz and the TU Berlin/FOKUS Team


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