Realizing the Tactile Internet through Intelligent Zero Touch Networks

The Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to evolve and create numerous technological advances, paving the road for solutions that were once considered impossible. The Tactile Internet (TI), which is envisioned to enable real-time transmission of haptic and conventional data traffic, is creating that paradigm shift towards control-based communication between end-users and machines. Tele-operation, Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR), vehicle platooning, and industrial automation are all applications that can be supported by TI. The realization of TI over Beyond Fifth Generation (B5G) creates challenges for the current wireless communication and networking infrastructure. Network and communication reliability, ultrahigh data rate connectivity, ultra-low latency, and stringent Quality of Service/Experience (QoS/QoE) requirements must all be achieved for TI to effectively operate. Existing network infrastructures that require manual means of management and control cannot accommodate stringent TI constraints. With that said, the adaptation of advanced intelligent and cooperative solutions at the edge of the network is a crucial step towards guaranteed availability of resources and TI services. This article identifies and analyzes some of the technical issues that TI faces, then highlights and proposes potential solutions towards zero touch networks. We pay particular attention to the reliability performance gains achieved from cooperative edge devices, and their role in the provisioning of zero touch networking infrastructures that support TI applications.