A half-day NoF 2026 workshop for testbed-driven, reproducible, hardware-in-the-loop research across 5G/6G, O-RAN, optical, quantum and programmable networks.
Most networking papers today rely on analytical models and simulation. ERN is the forum for results grounded in real hardware, real protocol stacks, and realistic testbed environments.
The networking research community has made tremendous strides in developing novel architectures, protocols, and management paradigms for next-generation communication networks. However, a large share of results presented at major venues are grounded in analytical modeling and simulation-based evaluations.
While these methodologies are essential, the field faces a critical and growing reproducibility and experimental validation gap: research outcomes that have not been tested on real hardware, real protocol stacks, or realistic testbed environments risk remaining disconnected from practical deployment realities.
ERN fills that gap. The Workshop on Experimental Research on Networking provides a dedicated forum for presenting experimental results, reproducible methodologies, prototyping efforts, and testbed-driven research at the networking layer and above. ERN specifically targets work that involves real-world experimentation, hardware-in-the-loop validation, and end-to-end system prototyping.
The program accommodates up to 8 peer-reviewed papers and 2 invited talks across two technical sessions — a focused half-day designed for deep, technical exchange.
Accepted and presented papers will be published in the NoF 2026 Conference Proceedings and submitted to IEEE Xplore®, subject to quality review and the standard presentation / registration requirements of the host conference.
Original contributions involving real-world experimentation, testbeds, and prototyping. The list below is indicative, not exclusive — networking-layer experimental components required.
Experimental evaluation of 5G / 6G network architectures and end-to-end protocol-stack validation.
xApp / rApp development, RIC deployment, and performance benchmarking of Open RAN systems.
SDM, multi-core fiber testbeds, and flex-grid experimental systems at the networking layer.
QKD testbeds, entanglement distribution, and quantum-network control-plane prototypes.
Integration experiments and measurement campaigns for non-terrestrial network testbeds.
End-to-end experimental validation of network slicing across heterogeneous domains.
Reproducible experimental deployment of ML-driven network management and control.
P4-based, eBPF-based, and intent-based programmable platforms evaluated experimentally.
Experimental evaluation of latency, reliability, and resource management at the edge.
Intrusion and anomaly detection evaluated on real traffic and deployed systems.
Reproducible methodologies, open datasets, and benchmarking suites for networking research.
Related topics with a networking-layer experimental component — get in touch if unsure.
All deadlines are anywhere-on-Earth (AoE) unless otherwise noted. Follow the workshop channels for any updates.
~3.25 hours · 2 technical sessions · 2 invited talks. Paper slots populate after the acceptance notification on Aug 15, 2026. Times are CEST (local, Rome). Tentative — subject to change.
ERN features two 20-minute invited talks from leading voices in experimental networking. Speakers will be announced here upon confirmation.
A 20-minute invited talk from a leading researcher in experimental networking. Formal invitations are being extended; the announcement will be published here.
● Awaiting confirmationA second 20-minute invited talk complementing the first. Topics will cover testbed-driven research at the networking layer and above.
● Awaiting confirmationThree chairs with a joint track record in testbed-based and prototyping research across optical, mobile, and quantum networks.

Tenure-track researcher at DISIM; leads the Networks & Services Laboratory (NSLAB). Works on optical networks, 5G/6G RAN design, O-RAN, SDN/NFV, cybersecurity, and QKD. Active in international networking research and conference organization.

Associate Professor & Dean of R&D at IIT Dharwad. Research spans 5G/6G, O-RAN, softwarization and virtualization of mobile networks, and optical access design. Co-author of the Charles Kao Award, 2018.

Junior Professor at the Deutsche Telekom Chair of Communication Networks; heads the Quantum Communication Networks (QCNets) group. PI in the 6G-life hub; member of CeTI, QIA, and the Hexa-X / Hexa-X II flagships.
Additional members will be confirmed ahead of the review cycle.
→ TPC list as confirmed.
Standard 2-column conference format, submitted through EDAS. All submissions are single-blind peer-reviewed by TPC members.
Papers must follow the standard 2-column conference template. Submissions should present original experimental results, reproducible methodologies, testbed designs, or prototyping efforts.
ERN welcomes contributions that validate ideas through real-world experimentation rather than simulation alone. Strong submissions typically include:
ERN is co-located with NoF 2026 at the Spazio Mercatorum Educational Hub on Via Casilina. Travel and registration are coordinated through the main conference.
Universitas Mercatorum — Spazio Mercatorum, Educational Hub
Via Casilina 110b, 00182 Roma, Italy
ERN is held on the workshop day of the 17th International Conference on Network of the Future (NoF 2026), 29 Sep – 2 Oct 2026. The main conference is organized by DNAC.
Getting there: Metro C — Lodi (5 min walk) or San Giovanni (15 min walk); bus line 105.
For questions on submission, program, or the workshop itself — reach the chairs directly.