[hpc-announce] [NetSoft 2026] Call for Papers for the 12th IEEE International Conference on Network Softwarization (NetSoft) 2026
José Pedro Pereira dos Santos
JosePedro.PereiradosSantos at UGent.be
Thu Dec 4 03:05:33 CST 2025
[Apologies for cross and multiple posting]
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Call for Papers
IEEE NetSoft 2026
“Autonomous and Reliable Softwarized Networks
in the Age of Distributed Intelligence”
12th IEEE International Conference on Network Softwarization
29 June – 3 July 2026 // Berlin, Germany
https://urldefense.us/v3/__https://netsoft2026.ieee-netsoft.org/__;!!G_uCfscf7eWS!d8mHmo5yZtIZu1bBWh1P5hg7-NjUeDGMrc_PIuRUQrlQ_ciOG9N7FBTdt-aVFMCQKIbE_pSf1sa1AzGnMg17QxVGDhuecu2X3-g$
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***IMPORTANT DATES***
* Paper submission deadline: January 12, 2026
* Acceptance notification: March 23, 2026
* Camera-ready paper: April 24, 2026
Submission link: https://urldefense.us/v3/__https://edas.info/N34542__;!!G_uCfscf7eWS!d8mHmo5yZtIZu1bBWh1P5hg7-NjUeDGMrc_PIuRUQrlQ_ciOG9N7FBTdt-aVFMCQKIbE_pSf1sa1AzGnMg17QxVGDhue6gq75LY$
***SCOPE***
IEEE NetSoft, the premier International Conference on Network
Softwarization, addresses advanced research challenges and
opportunities raised by the overall transformation trend of network
“softwarization”, which has been revolutionizing the networking field
and has accelerated its convergence with adjacent industries.
Network Softwarization refers to the transition from legacy network
infrastructures and functionalities traditionally provided via
hardware appliances to new ones provided via software. This technology
has become feasible with the maturity of network function
virtualization, software-defined networking, and service function
chaining in the last 16 years. In particular, the ability to program,
manage, and operate network and service infrastructures more freely
makes it possible to reinvent network & cloud architectures, customize
services, accelerate service deployment, and facilitate greater
operational efficiency. This is even more relevant nowadays, as
network infrastructures and service deployment technologies are
challenged by the growing interest in distributed Artificial
Intelligence (AI) and computing solutions. The need for further
advances in these topics is reflected in the overall theme of NetSoft
2026: “Autonomous and Reliable Softwarized Networks in the Age of Dis-
tributed Intelligence”.
NetSoft 2026 will feature technical paper presentations, keynotes,
panels, tutorials, workshops, demos, posters and PhD symposiums from
world-leading experts representing service providers, vendors,
research institutes, open-source projects, and academia.
***TOPICS OF INTEREST***
The conference welcomes paper submissions with significant research
contributions to network softwarization. Topics of interest include,
but are not limited to:
Architecture and Infrastructure
* AI-native 5G/6G and beyond architecture
* Future Internet and New IP architecture
* Internet re-engineering
* Network softwarization for non-terrestrial and terrestrial inte-
gration
* Quantum-safe and post-quantum networking architectures
* Softwarized cloud, fog, and edge infrastructures
* Softwarized Networks for Data Centers and AI/ML infrastructures
* Abstractions and virtualization of resources, services, and func-
tions
* Cooperative multi-domain, multi-tenant environments
Networking Technologies and Protocols
* Programmable networking languages and architectures
* Software Defined Radio (SDR) and cognitive radio networks
* Programmable Networking Protocols
* Programmable data planes with AI acceleration
* Network slicing and slice management
* Service Function Chaining (SFC)
* Policy-based and Intent-based networking
* Dynamic resource discovery and negotiation schemes
* Deterministic or dependable networking
* High-precision communications and computing
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for Networks
* AI and ML techniques
* Applications of Generative AI
* Agentic AI and Multi-Agent Systems
* Distributed learning and collaborative inference with different
scale softwarized networks
* Cognitive and autonomic networking
* Autonomous networks enabled with softwarization
* Explainable and trustworthy AI for network autonomy
* Self-organizing, self-healing, and self-optimizing softwarized
networks
Performance, Security, Dependability, and Sustainability
* QoS and QoE
* Assurance and Measurements
* Resilience, reliability, and robustness
* Security, Ethics, Safety, Trust, and Privacy
* Sustainability, energy efficiency, and carbon footprint
Services, Operations, and Applications
* Internet of Things (IoT)
* Digital twins
* eXtended Reality (AR/VR/ER)
* Experience reports from experimental testbeds and deployments
* Development methodologies (DevOps, NetOps, Verification)
* Open source
* New value chains and service models
* Sovereign digital services and cross-border compliance in soft-
warized environments
* Deployment and transition strategies
* Socio-economic impact and regulations
***PAPER SUBMISSION***
Prospective authors are invited to submit high-quality original tech-
nical papers for presentation at the conference and publication in the
NetSoft 2026 Proceedings. All submissions must be written in English
and must use the standard IEEE two-column conference template that can
be downloaded from:
https://urldefense.us/v3/__https://www.ieee.org/conferences/publishing/templates.html__;!!G_uCfscf7eWS!d8mHmo5yZtIZu1bBWh1P5hg7-NjUeDGMrc_PIuRUQrlQ_ciOG9N7FBTdt-aVFMCQKIbE_pSf1sa1AzGnMg17QxVGDhueZJnlmNU$ .
Technical Papers can be of two types: Full or Short papers, up to 9
and 6 pages respectively, including references and all other
material. Long papers are the more traditional form for presenting
technical work. Long papers should emphasize not only novelty and
vision, but execution and thoroughness of the contribution (design,
evaluation). Short papers are the preferred vehicle for visionary
papers or traditional technical papers whose description fits within
a smaller number of pages. Short papers may not yet be "fully baked"
in terms of execution and evaluation. In both Full and Short papers,
author names and affiliations should be included after the title, as
provided in the templates. Authors are strongly encouraged to provide
means ensuring reproducibility of their work.
Papers submitted should describe original, previously unpublished
research results, not currently under review by another conference or
journal. Papers not meeting the length and formatting requirements or
violating IEEE’s guidelines on plagiarized content will be rejected
without review. All other papers will be reviewed. Selected papers for
NetSoft 2026 may be conditionally accepted and subjected to
shepherding before final acceptance. Only PDF files will be accepted
for the review process, and all manuscripts must be electronically
submitted through EDAS. Make sure that all authors are well mentioned
in the manuscript (and in EDAS). No author addition or deletion will
be accepted after the submission deadline.
Submission link: https://urldefense.us/v3/__https://edas.info/N34542__;!!G_uCfscf7eWS!d8mHmo5yZtIZu1bBWh1P5hg7-NjUeDGMrc_PIuRUQrlQ_ciOG9N7FBTdt-aVFMCQKIbE_pSf1sa1AzGnMg17QxVGDhue6gq75LY$
Important: NetSoft 2026 is enforcing a strict publication & no-show
policy as stated by IEEE. Be aware of the IEEE guidelines regarding
AI-content generation.
For courtesy to the Reviewers and the TPC, an accepted paper cannot be
withdrawn without appropriate reasons approved by the TPC Co-Chairs.
By submitting a contribution, you agree with the terms of the publi-
cation and no-show policy, as NetSoft 2026 is an in-person event.
For details, please refer to the Submission guidelines available on
the conference website.
***IMPORTANT DATES***
* Paper submission deadline: January 12, 2026
* Acceptance notification: March 23, 2026
* Camera-ready paper: April 24, 2026
***CONFERENCE WEBSITE***
https://urldefense.us/v3/__https://netsoft2026.ieee-netsoft.org/__;!!G_uCfscf7eWS!d8mHmo5yZtIZu1bBWh1P5hg7-NjUeDGMrc_PIuRUQrlQ_ciOG9N7FBTdt-aVFMCQKIbE_pSf1sa1AzGnMg17QxVGDhuecu2X3-g$
***TPC CO-CHAIRS***
* Ilhem Fajjari, Orange, France
* Israat Haque, Dalhousie University, Canada
* Diogo M.F. Mattos, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil
***GENERAL CO-CHAIRS***
* Prosper Chemouil, Cnam, France
* Stefan Schmid, Technical University of Berlin, Germany
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