The topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Programmable SDN and NFV: languages, architectures, environments
• Softwarized cloud, fog, and edge infrastructures
• Cognitive and autonomic networking
• Network slicing and slice management
• Mobility Management in software networks
• Policy- and Intent-Based Networking
• Centralized vs Distributed control, management & orchestration
• Abstractions and virtualization of resources, services, and functions
• Service function chaining (including SF placement optimization and SFC OAM)
• Container/microservice-based network functions
• Efficient network/service monitoring in SDN/NFV
• AI techniques to support network automation
• Analytics and big data approaches for managing softwarized networks
• QoS and QoE in softwarized infrastructures
• Resilience, reliability, and robustness of softwarized networks
• Cooperative multi-party, multi-domain, multi-tenant SDN/NFV environments
• Security/Safety/Trust support in virtualized environments
• SDN switch/router architecture and design
• Dynamic resource discovery mechanisms and service parameter/resource negotiation schemes
• APIs, protocols, and languages for programmable networks
• Lifecycle management of network software
• DevOps methodologies for network softwarization
• Debugging and introspection of software-defined virtualized systems
• Service fulfillment assurance systems in SDN/NFV environments
• Softwarized platforms for Internet of Things (IoT)
• Energy efficient and green software-defined infrastructures (SDI)
• Transition strategies from existing networks to SDN/NFV
• New service models and paradigms enabled by softwarization
• New value chains and business models
• Socio-economic impact and regulatory implications for softwarization
• Experience reports from experimental testbeds and deployments