Ikram Ul Haq

xFlow Software Technology LLC - Senior Software Engineer

Ikram has been an active contributor to ETSI ISG MEC standardisation. His key contribution addressed the challenge of dynamic network resource allocation for latency-sensitive gaming applications. The novelty of his work lies in the real-time integration of gaming workloads with standardised bandwidth management mechanisms, demonstrating clear improvements in network efficiency and quality of experience while preventing unnecessary resource overprovisioning.

Ikram has been actively contributing to ETSI ISG MEC standardisation. His key contribution centred on the development of a Proof of Concept (PoC) addressing the challenge of dynamic network resource allocation for latency-sensitive gaming applications. Real-time game streaming requires guaranteed bandwidth and low latency; however, traditional network infrastructures lack standardised mechanisms that allow applications to programmatically request and manage network resources. In collaboration with CTTC, Ikram integrated a real-time game streaming application with the MEC Bandwidth Management service (MEC 015) using ETSI TeraFlowSDN. This PoC #14 demonstrated how applications can programmatically request and manage network resources through standardised MEC interfaces, resulting in improved Quality of Experience and more efficient use of network resources.

The work validated the practical applicability of MEC service APIs in advanced, real-world use cases by combining application-layer control with SDN-based network orchestration. It provides strong evidence of how ETSI MEC specifications can enable programmable, efficient, and future-ready ICT systems. This work enhances interoperability between MEC platforms and SDN controllers and promotes more sustainable use of network resources. The industry relevance of this contribution was underscored by its presentation at the Game Developers Conference 2024, and the publication of a related peer reviewed conference paper https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10741360.

In addition, Ikram currently serves as Technical Lead for ETSI MEC STF 707 and actively contributes to multiple Specialist Task Forces (STFs) and Technical Task Forces (TTFs) across the MEC and NFV domains. His activities include work on MEC-oneM2M interworking and enhancements to the ETSI MEC Sandbox, further strengthening the practical adoption and ecosystem maturity of ETSI MEC technologies.

Details of PoC#14 can be found here:
https://mecwiki.etsi.org/index.php?title=PoC_14_Network_resource_allocation , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv6UbJ78HL0