Proceedings of the 4th workshop on All things cellular: operations, applications, & challenges

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the 4th Workshop on All Things Cellular: Operations, Applications and Challenges. Previously known as CellNet, this workshop is a premier venue for research in cellular network systems, and continues to bring together network operators and researchers to discuss emerging problems, challenges, and potential solutions in this domain. Cellular network systems are growing in importance as we are living in an increasingly connected mobile world. Mobile applications and services have rapidly enriched our lives, particularly because much of the mobile eco-system is vibrant and conducive to open innovation. An important part of this ecosystem is the underlying connectivity provided by cellular networks. While innovations in mobile services and applications have thrived, innovations in the underlying cellular systems have been more limited. This is partially caused by the closed and monolithic nature of these networks, where the core design and operational challenges are not very accessible to the research community. But a large number of stakeholders -- from app developers to smartphone manufacturers to machine-to-machine services -- are increasingly dependent on cellular networks. We hope that this workshop facilitates more innovation in this space. The call for papers attracted 24 submissions from 12 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the United States. The program committee accepted 9 papers that cover a variety of topics, including cellular network protocols, software defined networking, network function virtualization, and cellular network measurements. In addition, the program includes a panel on Building a Cellular Networking Research Program, and a keynote speech by Professor Lin Zhong from Rice University. We hope that these proceedings will serve as a valuable reference for cellular networking researchers and practitioners.