SNS JU June 2024 Newsflash

India’s Bharat 6G Alliance and 6G-IA MoU

The Bharat 6G Alliance and 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) today announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 22 March 2024 to explore collaboration opportunities on Vision for 6G, Requirements on 6G, architecture and use cases, identification of common interests, building of consensus and collaboration to support development of globally harmonised standards for Beyond 5G and 6G and promoting cooperation among European and Indian R&D organizations and industries.

The work will encompass aligning research and development priorities that support a common 6G vision and creating secure and trusted telecommunications as well as resilient supply chains.

EuCNC & 6G Summit 2024

The EuCNC & 6G Summit 2024 took place on 3-6 June 2024 in Antwerp, Belgium. The conference focused on all aspects of telecommunications from the deployment of 5G and mobile IoT to the exploration of 6G and future communications systems and networks, including experimentation and testbeds, as well as applications and services. It brought together cutting-edge research and world-renowned industries and companies, attracting over 900 delegates from more than 40 countries worldwide in recent years to present and discuss the latest results, and an exhibition with over 50 exhibitors to demonstrate technology developed in the field, notably as part of research projects under EU R&I programmes.

The event was an opportunity for SNS projects, 6G-IA and SNS WGs to take part in various workshops and sessions, as well as demonstrations on their stands and presentations of papers.

BeGREEN presented 5 demonstrations:

1. BeGREEN Intelligence Plane
2. Sensing demo related to BeGREEN Integrated Communication and Sensing (ISAC) works
3. CU hardware acceleration
4. DU hardware acceleration
5. RU power consumption optimisation

NANCY showcased a 5G Coverage Expansion Scenario with Advanced Cyberattack Detection and an insightful presentation on the Performance of RIS-assisted Networks with HQAM.

TERRAMETA presented demos, posters and videos:

1. Sub-THZ liquid-based RIS demo
2. Wideband RIS at sub-THz using PCB technology Proof-of-Concept
3. Memristor devices demo
4. Channel sounding demo
5. 140 GHz Point-to-Point Link Using Transmissive RIS demo

CENTRIC showcased how the NVIDIA’s Neural receiver concept can be used to produce receiver structures that are specially optimized for a specific site deployment. The demo showcased a hardware-based validation setup for a neural-network-based receiver for multi-user MIMO transmissions through a real 5G O-RAN network.

Tomaso de Cola, Project Coordinator of 5G-STARDUST and a representative from DLR (German Aerospace Center), delivered a presentation titled “Enabling Technologies towards NTN-6G systems: Tools and Demonstrators.” This presentation was a joint effort by several SNS JU projects, including 5G-STARDUST, 6G-NTN, ETHER, and 6G-SANDBOX.

PREDICT-6G’s booth “Programmable deterministic networking: the PREDICT-6G and DESIRE6G approaches’ was jointly organised with DESIRE6G. The project showcased the demos “Target Wake Time” by POLITO, “Smart Factory” by Gestamp and Ericsson,  “Monitoring Data Collection Integration with a Sensing-Enabled 3GPP Technology Domain’‘ by Nextworks and InterDigital, and “Real-time Gesture Based Remote Control of a Digital Twin” by UC3M. The later allowed visitors to experience first-hand how a robot dog performed different commands given to it through gestures that are registered by a camera placed on site and then transmitted. PREDICT-6G also participated in three workshops. The project was presented with the “Best Social Media Presence Award” by EuCNC, which underlined the long-term commitment of the project with the communication and dissemination of its activities and outcomes to the large public.

6G-NTN partners presented the project paper titled “Emerging Advancements in 6G NTN Radio Access Technologies: An Overview.”

The VERGE project presented the conference paper “Towards Trustworthy Reinforcement Learning based Resource Management in Beyond 5G”, the presentation is available in video here.

The 6G-BRICKS paper, titled “Beamforming and Functional Split Selection for Scalable Cell-Free mMIMO Networks,” has received the Best Paper Award at EuCNC 2024. The project also carried out demonstrations.

SNS JU phase 2 projects also presented papers, ECO-eNET presented the paper titled “Towards Efficient Confluent Edge Networks” and SAFE-6G presented the paper entitled “A Proof of Concept Implementation of an AI-assisted User-Centric 6G Network”.

More information about SNS projects booths is available in the Conference Programme (pages 150-170).

Paper copies of the SNS Journal 2024 were distributed at the SNS booth during the conference. The SNS Journal 2024 prepared by the SNS OPS project is the second issue of SNS journals. This 2024 edition presents the Call2 projects launched in early 2024 and gives a flavour of the Call1 project’s first achievements after 1 year of operation.

Video of the interview “SNS JU – Driving Innovation in 6G Research”

An interview with Erzsébet Fitori, Executive Director of the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking was recorded during the EuCNC 2024 &6G Summit. The video of the interview titled “SNS JU – Driving Innovation in 6G Research” is available here.

WiTAR WG convened session

On the Tuesday, 4 June 2024, the WiTaR (Women in Telecom and Research) Working Group held a 1h40 convened session to explain the EU-level initiative that promotes gender equality, inclusion and empowerment in the 6G Research & Innovation (R&I) community.

The session was recorded. Watch the whole sessionwith an introduction from Erzsébet Fitori,: WiTar – 6G IA (6g-ia.eu).

SMEs during EuCNC & 6G Summit 2024

Many NetworldEurope SME Working Group members participated in the EuCNC & 6G Summit 2024. They were present in different booths of the exhibition and contributed to workshops, panels and other sessions.

Simon Pryor, R&I Project Strategist and Coordinator from ACCELERAN, Fotis Foukalas, Technology Advisor from COGNINN, Israel Koffman, Executive VP & Co-Founder from RunEL, and Vaios Koumaras, Managing Director, and Vasileios Mavrikakis, Communication Manager from INFOLYSIS, among many others, seized the opportunity to expand their networks, discover new technologies, and showcase their innovations, making the most of the event and helping to drive industry collaboration.

You can check their impressions here.

The above information is only a highlight, many more SNS contributions are listed in the Conference Programme.

The next EuCNC&6G Summit will be held in Poznan, Poland from 3 to 6 June 2025.

The 6G-IA Report on Smart City Trials in Europe is out

The 6G-IA Report: Smart City Trials in Europe – Summary of activities in smart city vertical segments/use cases has been released by the 6G Cities Stream of the Trials Working Group.

This document concentrates on 5G and communication systems in concept of Smart City vertical, basic requirement and expectations of various stakeholders for future communication infrastructure. The report provides summary of the key 5G PPP Phase 3 projects related to smart city use case trials and validations. The more comprehensive information of project foci and results can be found from each project web page. The selected use cases for some of the projects are also presented in the 5G PPP Trials and Pilots summary brochure (download it here). The part of the work on expectation and best practices for innovation and experimentation facilities and building the platforms was carried out with interviews for Digital Transition Partnership actions. Part of the summary on joint innovation and city partnership networks is also available in public within Urban Agenda for EU – Digital Transition Partnership progress report documents at EC and thus reflects the advances and requirements also outside 5G PPP and collaboration with European city networks.

First SNS-JU Technology Board (TB) Face-to-Face meeting

The 1^st SNS-JU Technology Board (TB) Face-to-Face meeting under the direction of the SNS JU Technology Board Chairman Kostas Trichias (6G-IA) was held on 6-7 June 2024.

The Technical Managers of all 35 SNS Phase 1 projects gathered in Antwerp, Belgium to discuss and progress on the common technical activities of the TB (Reference Figure, Sustainability, AI/ML, etc.) and to plan the next steps for common actions and synergies on multiple levels.

NetworldEurope SME Working Group highlights

In May 2024, the SME WG meeting featured presentations from various members. Mika Skarp from Cumucore Oy introduced their innovative technology for replacing Ethernet cables in factory industries, which is present in over 50 projects involving 4G/5G/6G technologies. Urszula Sobek spoke about the work of Funding Box championing entrepreneurs and innovators by matching them with funding programmes and tailor-made acceleration programmes. Robert Sugar from Urban Hawk presented their integration of game industry technologies with GIS to reduce turnaround time, risk, and cost through automation. Adam Flizikowski from IS Wireless showcased their 5G/6G solution software for network deployment, supported by 25 EU-funded projects, including 5G and Liquid RAN deployments.

In June 2024, there were several key presentations aimed at fostering collaboration and innovation among European SMEs. Nina Hoppmann from the European Cluster Collaboration Platform discussed upcoming events and initiatives designed to enhance networking and support for SMEs. Mona Maril of standICT.eu highlighted the efforts to strengthen the global reach of the European ICT standardisation ecosystem, emphasizing available Open Calls and the importance of impact reporting. Maja Horvat from PQ-REACT focused on advancements in Post Quantum Cryptography and announced a new Open Call for project proposals. These presentations underscored the importance of ongoing collaboration and support for SMEs in driving technological and market innovation.

How to join the NetWorldEurope SME Working Group and contribute?

Joining NetworldEurope SME working group is easy and takes only a few minutes:

1. Ask NetworldEurope Membership by filling the application form (if you are not already a member)
2. Click here to send an email requesting to be part of the SME Working Group

IEEE ICC 2024

The IEEE International Conference on Communications (IEEE ICC 2024) took place on 9-13 June 2024, in Denver, USA. The theme of IEEE ICC 2024 was “Scaling the Peaks of Global Communications”. A full technical programme has been proposed, including 13 symposia and a variety of tutorials and workshops.  IEEE ICC 2024 also included an industry programme for practitioners, with keynote addresses and panels from leaders in research, industry and government, business and industry panels, and technology exhibits.

SNS Projects Participation

PREDICT-6G was represented by Giuseppe Di Giacomo from Politecnico di Torino who presented the paper ‘Generosity Pays Off: A Game-Theoretic Study of Cooperation in Decentralized Learning’ within the ‘Edge Learning over 5G Mobile Networks and Beyond’ Workshop.

Septimia Sarbu, PhD – a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oulu and part of the CENTRIC, presented the paper entitled “On scaling latency-aware MAC communication protocols with a hierarchical network topology”.

The 3rd International Workshop on Green and Sustainable Networking (GreenNet), co-organized by 6Green was co-located with the conference. Raffaele Bruno presented the 6Green perspective on the “How to achieve energy efficient and sustainable networking in the 6G age” interactive panel.

SNS Phase 2 project 6G-PATH co-organised the 2nd International Workshop on Intelligent Cloud Continuum for B5G Services co-located with IEEE ICC 2024. The Workshop focused on tackling the challenges and exploring the opportunities related to cross-domain cloud continuum scenarios and Beyond 5G (B5G) applications and services.

VIAVI Solutions CTO, Sameh Yamany explained during a keynote speech how 6G-TWIN is working towards realising that goal by defining the architectures and models needed to develop digital twins as enablers in operational networks to deliver teleoperated driving and energy-saving use cases.

PSCE Conference

The Public Safety Communication Europe (PSCE) Spring Conference was held on 4-5 June 2024 in Vienna, Austria.

The conference, organised by one 6G4Society consortium partners PSCE, touched upon two main topics: AI for Data Management (how AI could support the flow of massive data) and Satellite-Non terrestrial Communication. During the event, hosted by the Austrian Ministry of Defense, PSCE coordinator Marie-Christine Bonnamour introduced 6G4Society to the Conference guests focusing specifically on the project’s objectives and how the project is currently working to shape and contribute to a ‘sustainable and accepted 6G for society’.

Flavien Ronteix, representing 5G-STARDUST partner Thales Alenia Space, delivered a presentation on the objectives and achievements of 5G-STARDUST. Moreover, the project’s presence was highlighted by a displayed poster.

CitiVerse 2024

CitiVerse 2024 conference took place on 18 June in Turin, Italy. The event explored how AI, IoT, Blockchain, and XR drive urban innovation in future Cities & Communities. The Municipality of Turin (Comune di Torino) organises the conference with the support of SNS JU, the ENoLL (European Network of Living Labs), the Enterprise Europe Network, and other local stakeholders.

Experts from TrialsNet participated in round tables about Extended Reality for Culture, Entertainment and Gaming, as well as about 5G to 6G and AI to support future mobility solutions in Cities. They presented a keynote about 6G Positioning and Sensing Through the Lens of Sustainability, Inclusiveness, and Trustworthiness: which Key Value Indicators?, and presented demos for two use cases: UC5 – Control Room in Metaverse and UC12 – City Parks in Metaverse.

Daniele Brevi from ENVELOPE project partner Fondazione LINKS represented the project in the 3rd session: 5G to 6G for Smart Life & Smart Mobility” during the Round Table, focusing on “5to6G and AI to Support Future Mobility Solutions in Cities.”

AI For Good Webinar on Radio Resource Management for 6G in-X Subnetworks

On 26 June 2024, SNS JU projects CENTRIC and 6G-SHINE participated in a free webinar on “Radio Resource Management for 6G in-X Subnetworks” for the Machine Learning 5G challenge organized by AI for Good.

The Machine Learning 5G challenge focuses on developing machine learning-based solutions for optimizing sub-band allocation and power control within dense in-factory subnetworks.

Video Demonstration of the work of 6G-INTENSE and 6G-BRICKS

On 17 June 2024, the Netsoft team of EURECOM published a video of the Demo: AI-XAI-LLM-enabled Trustworthy 6G Zero-touch Network and Service Management. This work was done in the context of Horizon Europe SNS 6G projects: 6G-INTENSE and 6G-BRICKS.

IEEE Future Networks World Forum 2024

The IEEE FNWF 2024 will take place on 15-17 October 2024 in Dubai, UAE. The theme for this global 5G and Beyond event will be focused on the academic and industry work that entails envisioning a highly sophisticated and interconnected digital ecosystem that transcends the capabilities of current networks.

Call For Papers 2^nd Workshop on beyond current 5G Architecture for 6G Service and International cooperation

A Call For Papers for the 2^nd Workshop on beyond current 5G Architecture for 6G Service and International cooperation supported by EU SNS projects RIGOUROUS, HORSE, 6GSOC and 6GCLOUD has been launched.

IMPORTANT DATES
Workshop Paper Submission: 31 July 2024
Workshop Paper Acceptance Notification: 1 September 2024
Camera-Ready Submission: 15 September 2024

Symposium Co-Chairs
* Antonio Skarmeta, Universidad de Murcia, Spain
* Diego R. Lopez, Telefónica, Spain
* Chen Tao, VTT Finland
* Akis Kourtis & George Xilouris Demokritos, Greece
* Slawomir Kuklinski,  WUT, Poland
* Pascal Bisson, Thales, France
* Tommaso Melodia, Northeastern University, USA
* Ved Kafle, NICT, Japan

Symposium Paper Submission
All papers should be submitted via EDAS, Workshop on Beyond Current 5G Architectures for 6G Services here.
Information for authors available here.
Full instructions on how to submit papers are provided on the IEEE FNWF 2024 website.

Invitation to participate in a 6G-IA Special Session on security for 5G/6G

In the context of IEEE Future Networks World Forum, 6G-IA is considering the organisation of a special session on security for 5G/6G open to all 6G-IA project that could be interested on provide contributions over different aspects.

The session will be included in the symposium on security in the networks of the future, as an invited session. The focus of the contributions should be on solutions, enablers, architecture, testing and validation in the real-world, and concrete use cases.

You are invited to confirm ASAP (the latest by the July 10th) your project’s interest and indicate a speaker/organization, EVEN if you do not intend to submit a paper, please send an e-mail at skarmeta@um.es to check the possible projects/researchers interest.

Chairs, Organizers: Antonio Skarmeta, Ahmad Ijaz, Dhouha Ayed and Mir Ghoraishi

Projects supporting this initiative: RIGOUROUS, 6GCLOUD, iTrust6G, ELASTIC, AI-NET ANTILLAS and SUNSET-6G

Green and Sustainable Wireless Networks Webinar

The TIMES project will be hosting a webinar titled “Green and Sustainable Wireless Networks” on 3 July at 17:00 CET.

This online event will feature Malte Shellman, Principal Research Engineer at Huawei Technology, and Enrico Buracchini, 5G Senior Project Manager at TIM, as speakers. They will explore the critical topic of eco-friendly practices in the wireless networks industry, sharing insights and advancements in this increasingly vital area.

Webinar promoting joint White Paper on the role of 6G in agriculture

A Webinar is organised on 10 July 2024 for the promotion of the joint White Paper on The role of 6G in agriculture published by 6G-IA and AIOTI in May.

Agenda:

15.00  Opening and Welcome (5 min)

Raffaele de Peppe, 6G IA Governing Board Vice-Chair

Damir Filipovic, AIOTI Secretary General

15.10  Presentation of the paper and recommendations (15 min)

Alexandar Kaloxylos. 6G IA Executive Director

Luis Perez-Freire, AIOTI WG Agriculture Chairman (Gradiant)

15.25  Presentation of the use cases (30 min)

15.55  Questions from the audience (15 min)

Moderator: Luis Perez-Freire, AIOTI WG Agriculture Chairman (Gradiant)

16.10  Wrap up and end of Webinar (5 min)

Raffaele de Peppe, 6G IA Governing Board Vice-Chair

The webinar is open to the public and there is no need to register.

Call for papers – International Conference on 6G Networking (6GNet 2024)

6G-TWIN will organise a workshop at the upcoming Sustainable Places 2024 International Conference, which will take place on 23-25 September 2024 in Luxembourg.

The workshop will provide a platform for researchers, industry professionals, and policymakers to discuss innovative approaches, green technologies, and holistic strategies for minimizing the ecological footprint of 6G networks. The workshop will convene EU-funded collaborative projects dedicated to developing and demonstrating energy-efficient network architectures, renewable energy integration, life cycle assessments, eco-friendly materials, and policy frameworks that foster sustainable practices in the development and operation of future 6G mobile networks.

Projects with participation already confirmed: BeGreen ; Coalesce ; In2CCAM ; CENTRIC ; 6Green ; Zero-Swarm.

Call for papers – International Conference on 6G Networking (6GNet 2024)

The 3^rd edition of the International Conference on 6G Networking (6GNet 2024) will be held in Paris, France, from 21-24 October 2024. This third 6G conference therefore aims at assessing the progress of the various research efforts in areas that will forge 6G networks.

Call For Papers – Workshop on Energy Neutral and Sustainable IOT Devices and Infrastructure

In collaboration with Hexa-X-II, INTERACT and the 6G Flagship, SUPERIOT is co-organising a Workshop on Energy Neutral and Sustainable IoT Devices and Infrastructure 2024.

This workshop will be part of the 6GNet conference.

Full Paper Submission Deadline: 13 August 2024

For more information or queries, please contact the SUPERIOT Workshop Chair konstantin.mikhaylov@oulu.fi