Personalized QoE Enhancement for Adaptive Video Streaming: A Digital Twin-Assisted Scheme

In this paper, we present a digital twin (DT)-assisted adaptive video streaming scheme to enhance personalized quality-of-experience (PQoE). Since PQoE models are user-specific and time-varying, existing schemes based on universal and time-invariant PQoE models may suffer from performance degradation. To address this issue, we first propose a DT-assisted PQoE model construction method to obtain accurate user-specific PQoE models. Specifically, user DTs (UDTs) are respectively constructed for individual users, which can acquire and utilize users' data to accurately tune PQoE model parameters in real time. Next, given the obtained PQoE models, we formulate a resource management problem to maximize the overall long-term PQoE by taking the dynamics of user' locations, video content requests, and buffer statuses into account. To solve this problem, a deep reinforcement learning algorithm is developed to jointly determine segment version selection, and communication and computing resource allocation. Simulation results on the real-world dataset demonstrate that the proposed scheme can effectively enhance PQoE compared with benchmark schemes.

AI-Native Network Slicing for 6G Networks

With the global roll-out of the fifth generation (5G) networks, it is necessary to look beyond 5G and envision the sixth generation (6G) networks. The 6G networks are expected to have space-air-ground integrated networking, advanced network virtualization, and ubiquitous intelligence. This article proposes an artificial intelligence (AI)-native network slicing architecture for 6G networks to facilitate intelligent network management and support emerging AI services. AI is built in the proposed network slicing architecture to enable the synergy of AI and network slicing. AI solutions are investigated for the entire lifecycle of network slicing to facilitate intelligent network management, i.e., AI for slicing. Furthermore, network slicing approaches are discussed to support emerging AI services by constructing slice instances and performing efficient resource management, i.e., slicing for AI. Finally, a case study is presented, followed by a discussion of open research issues that are essential for AI-native network slicing in 6G.