Ultra-low latency and high reliability communications are the two defining characteristics of tactile Internet (TI). Nevertheless, some TI applications would also require high data-rate transfer of audiovisual information to complement the haptic data. Using millimeter Wave (mmWave) communications is an attractive choice for high data-rate TI applications due to the availability of large bandwidth in the mmWave bands. Moreover, mmWave radio access is also advantageous to attain the air-interface-diversity required for high reliability in TI systems as mmWave signal propagation significantly differs to sub-6 GHz propagation. However, the use of narrow beamwidth in mmWave systems makes them susceptible to link misalignment-induced unreliability and high access latency. In this article, we analyze the tradeoffs between high gain of narrow beamwidth antennas and corresponding susceptibility to misalignment in mmWave links. To alleviate the effects of random antenna misalignment, we propose a beamwidth-adaptation scheme that significantly stabilize the link throughput performance.

The link misalignment and high susceptibility to blockages are the biggest hurdles in realizing 60-GHz-based wireless local area networks (WLANs). However, much of the previous studies investigating 60 GHz alignment and blockage issues do not provide an accurate quantitative evaluation from the perspective of WLANs. In this article, we present an in-depth quantitative evaluation of commodity IEEE 802.11ad devices by forming a 60-GHz WLAN with two docking stations mimicking as access points (APs). Through extensive experiments, we provide important insights about directional coverage pattern of antennas, communication range, and cochannel interference and blockages. We are able to measure the IEEE 802.11ad link alignment and association overheads in absolute time units. With a very high accuracy (96%-97%), our blockage characterization can differentiate between temporary and permanent blockages caused by humans in the indoor environment, which is a key insight. Utilizing our blockage characterization, we also demonstrate intelligent handoff to alternate APs using consumer-grade IEEE 802.11ad devices. Our blockage-induced handoff experiments provide important insights that would be helpful in integrating millimeter wave-based WLANs into future wireless networks.

The IEEE 'Tactile Internet' (TI) Standards working group (WG), designated the numbering IEEE 1918.1, undertakes pioneering work on the development of standards for the TI. This paper describes the WG, its intentions, and its developing baseline standard and the associated reasoning behind that and touches on a further standard already initiated under its scope: IEEE 1918.1.1 on 'Haptic Codecs for the TI.' IEEE 1918.1 and its baseline standard aim to set the framework and act as the foundations for the TI, thereby also serving as a basis for further standards developed on TI within the WG. This paper discusses the aspects of the framework such as its created TI architecture, including the elements, functions, interfaces, and other considerations therein, as well as the novel aspects and differentiating factors compared with, e.g., 5G Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication, where it is noted that the TI will likely operate as an overlay on other networks or combinations of networks. Key foundations of the WG and its baseline standard are also highlighted, including the intended use cases and associated requirements that the standard must serve, and the TI's fundamental definition and assumptions as understood by the WG, among other aspects.

In recent years, enormous growth has been witnessed in the computational and storage capabilities of mobile devices. However, much of this computational and storage capabilities are not always fully used. On the other hand, popularity of mobile edge computing which aims to replace the traditional centralized powerful cloud with multiple edge servers is rapidly growing. In particular, applications having strict latency requirements can be best served by the mobile edge clouds due to a reduced round-trip delay. In this paper we propose a Multi-Path TCP (MPTCP) enabled mobile device cloud (MDC) as a replacement to the existing TCP based or D2D device cloud techniques, as it effectively makes use of the available bandwidth by providing much higher throughput as well as ensures robust wireless connectivity. We investigate the congestion in mobile-device cloud formation resulting mainly due to the message passing for service providing nodes at the time of discovery, service continuity and formation of cloud composition. We propose a user space agent called congestion handler that enable offloading of packets from one sub-flow to the other under link quality constraints. Further, we discuss the benefits of this design and perform preliminary analysis of the system.