RAN slicing technology is a key aspect of the Open RAN paradigm, allowing simultaneous and independent provision of various services such as ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC) through virtual networks that share a single radio access infrastructure. Efficient resource allocation is crucial for RAN slicing, as each service has specific quality of service (QoS) requirements, and a balance between different services must be maintained. Although heuristic and reinforcement learning (RL) techniques have been explored to achieve efficient resource allocation, these approaches face notable limitations: heuristic algorithms face complexity issues that limit their effectiveness in large networks, RL solutions are constrained by their dependency on training data and struggle to adapt to new scenarios and environments. This paper proposes a framework that leverages quantum optimization techniques to optimize radio resource blocks allocation in Open RAN slicing for URLLC and eMBB services. We provide a classical problem formulation and the quantum implementation using the constrained quadratic model on Dwave quantum annealing platform, showcasing the potential of quantum optimization techniques to deliver in real-time optimal solutions for optimization problems in 5G and beyond networks.
RAN slicing technology is a key aspect of the Open RAN paradigm, allowing simultaneous and independent provision of various services such as ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC) through virtual networks that share a single radio access infrastructure. Efficient resource allocation is crucial for RAN slicing, as each service has specific quality of service (QoS) requirements, and a balance between different services must be maintained. Although heuristic and reinforcement learning (RL) techniques have been explored to achieve efficient resource allocation, these approaches face notable limitations: heuristic algorithms face complexity issues that limit their effectiveness in large networks, RL solutions are constrained by their dependency on training data and struggle to adapt to new scenarios and environments. This paper proposes a framework that leverages quantum optimization techniques to optimize radio resource blocks allocation in Open RAN slicing for URLLC and eMBB services. We provide a classical problem formulation and the quantum implementation using the constrained quadratic model on Dwave quantum annealing platform, showcasing the potential of quantum optimization techniques to deliver in real-time optimal solutions for optimization problems in 5G and beyond networks.
The quantum machine learning (QML) paradigms and their synergies with network slicing can be envisioned to be a disruptive technology on the cusp of entering to era of sixth-generation (6G), where the mobile communication systems are underpinned in the form of advanced tenancy-based digital use-cases to meet different service requirements. To overcome the challenges of massive slices such as handling the increased dynamism, heterogeneity, amount of data, extended training time, and variety of security levels for slice instances, the power of quantum computing pursuing a distributed computation and learning can be deemed as a promising prerequisite. In this intent, we propose a cloud-native federated learning framework based on quantum deep reinforcement learning (QDRL) where distributed decision agents deployed as micro-services at the edge and cloud through Kubernetes infrastructure then are connected dynamically to the radio access network (RAN). Specifically, the decision agents leverage the remold of classical deep reinforcement learning (DRL) algorithm into variational quantum circuits (VQCs) to obtain the optimal cooperative control on slice resources. The initial numerical results show that the proposed federated QDRL (FQDRL) scheme provides comparable performance than benchmark solutions and reveals the quantum advantage in parameter reduction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first exploratory study considering an FQDRL approach for 6G communication network.
Open-Loop wireless communication enables minimal latency communication with the assistance of machine learning in various aspects. A typical predictive downlink radio resource access for such minimal latency communications requires real-time optimization, which is not possible for standard classical machine learning and particularly deep learning using artificial neural networks, due to computational complexity. However, quantum optimization introduces a new technology opportunity to achieve such a purpose. Turning an allocation or knapsack problem into a quadratic unconstrainted binary optimization problem, given a quantum edge processor, we employ quantum approximation optimization algorithm to accomplish with polynomial computational complexity, to successfully realize radio resource allocation and pave a new approach to 6G mobile communications of minimal latency communication.
The increasing demands for ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), high-capacity, connectivity, and mobility in next-generation wireless networks have driven the integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as flexible and adaptive communication nodes. UAV-assisted networks offer enhanced coverage, dynamic deployment, and cost-effective infrastructure for the sixth generation (6G) and beyond. However, optimizing UAV trajectory planning, resource allocation, and interference management is particularly challenging, especially in dynamic and large-scale environments. Classical reinforcement learning (RL) techniques, while effective in adaptive optimization, suffer from computational inefficiencies and slow convergence in high-dimensional state-action spaces. To address these constraints, quantum reinforcement learning (QRL) emerges as a novel paradigm that leverages quantum computing principles, such as superposition and entanglement, to enhance decision-making efficiency. This study provides a comprehensive overview of QRL algorithms and investigates their transformative potential in UAV-assisted wireless communication networks. We analyze UAV deployment strategies, network architectures, and topologies, highlighting their advantages as well as inherent challenges. Furthermore, we examine the limitations of classical RL algorithms and assess how QRL overcomes them while improving computational efficiency and exploration capabilities. In addition, we present a detailed review of existing QRL algorithms applicable to next-generation UAV-enhanced wireless networks, identifying key challenges that must be addressed for practical deployment. Finally, we identify open research challenges and offer future directions for integrating QRL into UAV-assisted communication, paving the way for scalable, intelligent, and high-performance wireless systems.
Radio is the most important part of any wireless network. Radio Access Network (RAN) has been virtualized and disaggregated into different functions whose location is best defined by the requirements and economics of the use case. This Virtualized RAN (vRAN) architecture separates network functions from the underlying hardware and so 5G can leverage virtualization of the RAN to implement these functions. The easy expandability and manageability of the vRAN support the expansion of the network capacity and deployment of new features and algorithms for streamlining resource usage. In this paper, we try to address the problem of scheduling 5G vRAN with mid-haul network capacity constraints as a combinatorial optimization problem. We transformed it to a Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problem by using a newly proposed quantum-based algorithm and compared our implementation with existing classical algorithms. This work has demonstrated the advantage of quantum computers in solving a particular optimization problem in the Telecommunication domain and paves the way for solving critical real-world problems using quantum computers faster and better.
Metaverse refers to the intersection of parallel virtual worlds with their physical counterparts by allowing users to interact with virtual people, objects, and environments. Resource allocation in various aspects of Metaverse domains, called as MetaSlices hereinafter, is a crucial optimization research problem. To serve this purpose, we consider a MetaSlice framework with the notion of sharing resources among common functions and enable placing time-sensitive services at the edge of multi-tier architecture in proximity to users. Unfortunately, the classical Integer Linear Programming is inappropriate for such heavily constrained optimization problem due to the extensive running time and memory. Hence, we model a novel Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) formulation to simultaneously optimize resources and secure Quality of Service for MetaSlices as a paradigm shift towards quantum computing. Furthermore, we propose to employ a hybrid classical-quantum WSQA to optimize resource under uncertainty, offer ultra-low running time, and increase service acceptance rate/scalability in resource-hungry and dynamic Metaverse system. Extensive simulation results demonstrate that WSQA outperforms other classical and standalone quantum annealing approaches, even with the limited availability of qubits (quantum resources). Thus, this research paves the way to decrease massive resource fabrication costs and upgrade profit margin for Metaverse Internet Service Providers, while simultaneously providing real-time services for Metaverse users.
Immersive and mission-critical data-driven applications, such as virtual or augmented reality, tactile Internet, industrial automation, and autonomous mobility, are creating unprecedented challenges for ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC) in the sixth generation (6G) networks. Machine intelligence approaches deep learning, reinforcement learning, and federated learning (FL), to provide new paradigms to ensure 6G URLLC on the stream of big data training. However, classical limitations of machine learning capabilities make it challenging to achieve stringent 6G URLLC requirements. In this article, we investigate the potential of variational quantum computing and quantum machine learning (QML) for 6G URLLC by utilizing the advantage of quantum resources, such as superposition, entanglement, and quantum parallelism. The underlying idea is to integrate quantum machine intelligence with 6G networks to ensure stringent 6G URLLC requirements. As an example, we demonstrate the quantum approximate optimization algorithm for NP-hard URLLC task offloading optimization problems. The variational quantum computation for QML is also adopted in wireless networks to enhance the learning rate of machine intelligence and ensure the learning optimality for mission-critical applications. Considering the security and privacy issues, as well as computational-resource overheads in FL, distributed quantum computation in blind and remote fashions is further investigated for quantum-assisted FL.