6G4Society In-Person Workshop – From 5G to 6G: What is in it for us?

In-person workshop in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Saturday 27 September 2025 from 15:00 to 18:00
Community Forum via the 6G4Society LinkedIn group
More information: https://6g4society.eu/event/in-person-workshop-from-5g-to-6g-what-is-in-it-for-us/
Organised by 6G4Society and Waag Society

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To make the most of 6G, we need to design it wisely, maximising its benefits while minimising potential risks. By prioritising thoughtful implementation and anticipating potential drawbacks, we can harness 6G’s potential while keeping people and the planet at the heart of next-generation mobile technology.

The workshop will work with the 6G4Society Citizen Survey, a unique opportunity for citizens to share their experiences and opinions about current 5G technology and the upcoming transition to 6G. This survey is designed to capture a wide range of insights, from your everyday use of wireless technology to your thoughts on its future impact.

Imme Ruarus (Waag Society) will talk about the recent research on 5G scenarios. The Imagining Public Connectivity project is a subproject of Quality of Life in Smart Urban Spaces. In “Quality of Life in Smart Urban Spaces,” Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Waag Futurelab, Fontys Eindhoven, and Stadslab Eindhoven investigate how digitalisation affects the quality of urban life. The public stack serves as a guide for mapping the different layers of technology (foundation, design process, technology, and citizen perspective).

What did 5G generate in terms of social response? 6G4Society brings a controversy analysis to better understand awareness, acceptance and adoption.

Workshop Objectives

Investigate the public’s level of understanding of complex technologies (e.g. 5G and 6G)
Discuss public apprehension or concern (doubts, uncertainties, fears and misconceptions)
Build relationships across the multiple stakeholders (incl. policy makers, industry, telco developers)
Take seriously and explore tensions, dissent, friction, misunderstanding (incl. dissent within the scientific community), misapprehension, informative asymmetry, and misconception.

Target Stakeholders

European Telecommunications Industry: Operators, vendors, and service providers interested in European sustainability initiatives
Researchers and project coordinators in Horizon Europe, SNS JU, or other European programs focused on sustainable telecommunications.
National authorities, standards organisations, and policy makers are shaping telecommunications regulation.
Social movements focusing on sustainability and equal access
City officials are deploying 5 G and 6G in the future
Startups, SMEs, and innovation agencies leveraging European initiatives for sustainable network technology development.

Sessions focus

Open discussion: How can we involve citizens in project ideas and community projects? Europe leads global sustainable telecommunications through major initiatives, including Horizon Europe, Digital Europe Programme, and Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU). What are the grassroots counterparts and social movements it can align with?

Anticipated Outcomes

Lessons learned from the Citizen Survey and gathering input from participants
Understand the roles of social movements in deploying new technologies
Introduce 6G narratives that help shape an ecosystem
Discover how Europe is scaling up efforts through new programmes on 6G