Tracks

The conference is still in preparation. The names of the tracks, and their high level descriptions are still in draft form:

• Research Track
• Programmable Real-Time Networks and Applications
• Communications Quality and Reliability
• VoiceTech
• WebRTC & Real-Time Applications
• Next Generation Emergency Communications
• Emerging Technologies and RTC

Research Track

Track Co-Chairs: Ronald Marx, José Aguerre, Eiji Oki, Vijay K Gurbani

The Research Track of RTC & CQR invites paper submissions in interactive multimedia communications describing architectures, design, theoretical results, experiments, innovative systems, prototyping efforts, and case studies. Papers that are accepted and presented at the conference will be submitted for publication in IEEE Xplore.  

We are interested in works at the intersection of multimedia interactive communications with technologies in internet of things, vehicular networking, confidential computing, machine learning, network management, programmable network services, security, privacy, machine learning, voice technologies, blockchain, gaming, and robotics. The Technical Program inherits the 17-year legacy of the IPTComm Conference (http://iptcomm.org/archive.html) as well as the over 30-year history of the CQR workshop (https://cqr2024.ieee-cqr.org/about/past-workshops).

The online version of this Call for Papers and detailed submission guidelines can be found here.

Important dates for paper submissions

• Paper submission deadline: Monday, July 7, 2025 – 1200 CDT
• Notification of acceptance: Monday, August 4, 2025 – 1200 CDT
• Final camera-ready submission: Monday, September 1, 2025 – 1200 CDT

Programmable Real-Time Networks and Applications

Track Co-Chairs: Maureen Stillman, Chris Mayer

Explore the Future of Real-Time Networks: Resilience, Programmability, and Innovation!

The cloud continues to be a defining technology of the twenty-first century, putting vast computing resources at the fingertips of billions of people. At the same time, rapidly rising mobile data consumption, coupled with the high costs for network upgrades are forcing network operators to re-examine how they deploy next generation networks. This is leading communication service providers to increasingly focus on advanced technologies such as Open RAN, cloud-native 5G cores, network API’s, and the integration of machine learning and artificial intelligence to increase flexibility, efficiency and automation.

A number of challenges exist that have limited more rapid and widespread adoption of these technologies.

• Do the benefits offered by these technologies justify the costs of migrating legacy infrastructure, and the risks of ceding end-to-end control of critical network functions?
• Are security and privacy concerns – often including regulatory requirements that data be stored within national borders – compatible with the distributed nature of public clouds?
• Does transitioning to the public cloud risk an increase in latency and/or service outages, jeopardizing the service quality of modern real-time networks, which are designed for a service delivery model built on five 9’s of network reliability?
• Are cloud providers also competitors to network operators, and what are the risks service providers face associated with potential vendor lock-in?

This track is your gateway to understanding the technologies behind the shift to programmable real-time networks, along with the challenges they present. Join us to:

1. Explore Programmability: Witness the rise of network engineers empowered to programmatically interact with the networks they administer. Learn how programmatic interfaces automate the creation and scaling of network services, accelerating real-time network deployment and service activation.
2. Navigate Hurdles: Examine the challenges that hinder the seamless adoption of programmable real-time networks. Understand the technical complexities, business challenges, and security and compliance issues associated with integrating advanced technologies, and explore strategies to address and overcome these obstacles for widespread implementation.
3. Examine Intersections: Delve into the intersection of programmable networking technologies with other disciplines, resulting in potential opportunities as developers are enabled to mash-up these capabilities to create new cutting-edge services.
4. Discover Telco as a Platform: Learn about the emerging concept of “Telco as a Platform,” and the potential for telecommunications infrastructure to become a foundation for innovative new services and applications.

Communications Quality and Reliability

Track Co-Chairs: Abby Knowles, Alana Scott

Abstract: to be announced

VoiceTech

Track Chair: Joe Smetana

Speech technology has fundamentally transformed the way we interact in our daily lives. From voice assistants to conversational bots, advancements in speech and artificial intelligence technologies continue to unlock remarkable opportunities for both business applications and academic research.

At the core of these innovations are natural language understanding (NLU) and natural language processing (NLP)—the foundation of effective voice-powered technology. When implemented successfully, it creates seamless, intuitive, and efficient user experiences. However, challenges remain. Despite significant AI advancements, designing effective conversational systems still requires a high degree of expertise. The emergence of Large Language Models (LLMs)—such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini—represents major breakthroughs in generative AI. Yet, these technologies also bring ethical considerations, including concerns around privacy, data security, and responsible AI use.

This track will provide attendees with an in-depth exploration of current and emerging NLU/NLP technologies, examining state-of-the-art applications and the challenges they present. Topics will include, but are not limited to:

• Ethical and practical applications of LLMs in conversational AI
• Conversational design and optimizing user interactions
• Voice biometrics and authentication for security and personalization
• Best practices for collecting, generating, and annotating voice data
• The operational impact of new and evolving speech technologies

We invite researchers, industry leaders, and practitioners to contribute to this discussion by sharing groundbreaking research, real-world applications, and innovative solutions. Whether from academia or industry, your insights will help shape the future of VoiceTech and advance the field of speech technology.

Join us as we explore recent developments, challenge existing paradigms, and identify new opportunities for growth and improvement in this rapidly evolving landscape.

WebRTC & Real-Time Applications

Track Chair: Advait Patel

Real-time applications are now a critical part of our distributed lives, enabling us to stay connected through live audio and video, as well as real-time data transfers. WebRTC emerged as the standard for allowing easy access to the microphone and camera via the browser, enabling peer-to-peer video, audio, and data connections directly between browsers.

Since 2020, the usage of WebRTC grew more dramatically, increasing the need for scalability, higher quality, and usability. As an official standard announced by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), WebRTC is now being used in billions of browsers, mobile phones, and other devices across various industries such as social media, telecommunications, healthcare, education, broadcasting, and more.

In this track we will:

• Explore the current status of WebRTC from both standards and market perspectives
• Learn about the latest Open Source project updates
• Delve into best practices for implementing real-time applications using WebRTC 
• Learn how people are scaling WebRTC
• Examine leading use cases for WebRTC applications and integrations with AI and much more!

Join us to discover the latest advancements in WebRTC and explore its potential for enhancing modern applications.

Next Generation Emergency Communications Services

Track Chair: to be announced

This year, the NG911 track focuses on the monumental shift in data from the legacy network to the advanced capabilities of Next Generation 911 (NG911) services. This evolution heralds a new era for public safety, introducing vast new data sets, multimedia communication channels, and the integration of artificial intelligence to support call takers and emergency responders.

Topics of interest for 2024 will include:

• The transition to NG911: Lessons learned and the path forward.
• The adoption and ethical considerations of artificial intelligence and assistive decision applications in public safety.
• Use Cases for AI monitoring for Quality Assessment (QA), Quality Improvement (QI), procedural compliance, and incident recommendations.

This popular discussion track has been a cradle for innovation and groundbreaking ideas that have shaped the future of emergency services. As we continue to document and drive the evolution of this sector, the contributions introduced here play a pivotal role in guiding the course of this paradigm shift in emergency response technology.

Join us in charting the course for future public safety solutions by sharing your insights, research findings, and visionary ideas on collectively navigating these complexities, or attend and learn by asking the experts questions. Either way, you’ll help redefine the emergency response landscape for a safer, more connected future.

Emerging Technologies and RTC

Track Co-Chairs: Alvin Chin, Biswaranjan Senapati, Stephen Xia

Real Time communications is a ubiquitous part of our daily work and play, a mature technology that is largely taken for granted by the public. We now deliver real time media over a variety of network types and architectures, and we are increasingly absorbing new technologies that will add to the functions available from our real time applications and services. One of the first of these technologies to be integrated with real time applications was the Internet of Things (IoT). Today, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Quantum Computing, Edge and Fog Computing, and Natural Language Processing, are all candidates for further integration. This track, which in prior conference was named the IoT Track, will provide insights into these new technologies themselves and how can be used to augment current real time applications and services.

We will cover topics including:

1. Big Data and AI Integration: Explore how Big Data and Artificial Intelligence are augmenting real time applications, from predictive maintenance to real-time analytics, enabling smarter decision-making and unlocking new possibilities for innovation.
2. Quantum Computing: Learn how this new technology can support and augment real time applications and services now and in the future.
3. IoT Connectivity Technologies: Explore the diverse range of connectivity options including 5G, 6G, satellite IoT, NB-IoT, and LoRaWAN, and their pivotal role in IoT deployments and their potential to shape the future of IoT ecosystems and networks.
4. IoT Applications and Use Cases: Discover real-world deployments across various verticals, showcasing the transformative impact of integrating IoT solutions with real time services.
5. Edge Computing and Fog Computing: Uncover the significance of edge and fog computing in reducing latency and processing data closer to the source, essential for optimizing real time and IoT deployments.
6. IoT Security and Privacy: Delve into critical discussions on securing IoT networks and devices, addressing authentication, encryption, and data privacy concerns.
7. Interoperability and Standards: Address interoperability and standardization to ensure seamless communication between applications, devices and platforms from different vendors and in support of different functions. Discuss relevant standards bodies and initiatives working to establish common protocols for connectivity and data exchange.

We’ll hear from industry innovators as well as researchers from academia as they share their latest developments, deployment activities, and research to explore how emerging technologies are being used to improve operational efficiencies, safety, security, and overall customer experience. This is a track that you will not want to miss!