A “network” for the future of Telecommunications in Italy
RESTART – “Research and innovation on future Telecommunications systems and networks, to make Italy smarter” – is not just the name of a research program focused on the telecommunications of the future. RESTART is also an invitation to stakeholders and political and economic decision-makers to ensure that, at both European and Italian levels, a true “restart” takes place, capable of guaranteeing innovation, competitiveness, and advanced services for citizens and businesses, particularly in the crucial sectors of telecommunications and cloud services, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and, more broadly, ICT, which form their immediate corollary.
Funded by MUR (Ministry of Universities and Research), RESTART is an extended partnership built with PNRR funding and initially composed of 27 partners, including Politecnico, bringing together research institutions and companies. A further 108 entities later joined, involved in research and innovation activities through the project’s cascade calls.
RESTART is the largest public research and development program ever implemented in the telecommunications sector in Italy, funded with 116 million euros. The results of the three years of project activities, now nearing completion, will continue to generate positive effects for businesses.
The program was managed by RESTART Foundation, which acted as a hub by coordinating and steering 7 Missions and 32 research projects, and which will continue its role as a “guide” in the application and valorization of the outcomes achieved. Within RESTART, Politecnico played a significant role. In particular, “the University’s activities were carried out within Spoke 4(Programmable networks for future services and media) and took the form of a series of projects tailored to the needs of the local area and businesses, involving approximately 28 faculty members and researchers,” explains Carla Fabiana Chiasserini, professor at the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications (DET) and coordinator of the University’s research group within the program. She adds: “The results achieved concern programmable networks and intelligent services, virtual reality, and the metaverse. The infrastructures created within RESTART include the Prognose Laboratory for advanced and intelligent connectivity, which will continue its activities in support of businesses and the local ecosystem. The Laboratory enables the application and experimentation of services and applications for users and autonomous mobile devices such as robots, autonomous and connected vehicles, rovers, and drones.”
In particular, the research team coordinated by Professor Chiasserini, together with Professors Fulvio Risso from the Department of Control and Computer Engineering (DAUIN) and Enrico Magli from the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications (DET), and affiliated partners, developed an innovative approach to the organization and management of programmable networks and distributed-architecture services, combining advanced techniques based on Artificial Intelligence and machine learning with the creation of system models implemented through Network Digital Twins and Human Digital Twins.
One of the main results achieved is the development of a design and “orchestration” method—i.e., integration—for network and service platforms (Network and Service Orchestration – NSO) for automated and intelligent management of communication infrastructures, with particular focus on 5G and the evolution towards 6G networks. The proposed orchestrator enables the configuration, monitoring, and management of the life cycle of network functions and services in multi-domain and cloud-native environments, covering radio access networks, core networks, optical transport, and edge computing. “The integration of Artificial Intelligence tools,” emphasizes Professor Chiasserini, “ensures advanced network automation, enabling a high level of system resilience and dynamic adaptability to continuously evolving operational scenarios.”
The team also addressed the convergence of Artificial Intelligence, media, advanced networks, and new forms of interaction between humans and machines. The research activities led to the creation of “digital twins” of networks, including human users, enabling adaptive service management and estimation of quality of experience. Among the results achieved, Professor Magli notes that “audio-visual signal processing improved temporal synchronization, co-presence, interactivity, and fidelity, delivering multisensory experiences that integrate vision, audio, and touch to achieve a genuine sense of presence, supported by advanced protocols for collaborative and secure streaming with deepfake content detection.”
Following the conclusion of the program, Politecnico will continue to work on the RESTART themes together with the Foundation, which will remain a meeting point for universities, research centers, and companies, coordinating research activities and ensuring the effective transfer of results in support of industry and the productive fabric of the territory.