As Europe works to advance digital infrastructure, the world’s first 6G research programme, 6G Flagship, is committed to achieving a 6G-enabled digital world by the 2030s.
Connectivity and progressive communication are European priorities to enable digital infrastructure to accommodate the ever-growing data generated by today’s digital world.
Currently, the European Commission is focusing on achieving key goals, such as Gigabit network coverage for all European households and uninterrupted 5G coverage for all, as outlined in the Gigabit Society Vision and the Digital Decade Plan. However, it also works to support the preparation of 6G Europe beyond this.
As a successor to 5G, 6G holds the possibilities of a new era of technology and brings together areas such as connectivity, robotics, cloud, and secure and reliable commerce. You can develop more challenging applications such as virtual reality and augmented reality. Hologram devices; Telescopic surgery; Digital twins of real-world objects. Augmented reality sensing (Internet of Sens); and self-driving cars.
In November 2021, the European Commission established the European Smart Network and Services Joint Project (SNS JU) to support the development of 6G. SNS JU enables pooling of the EU and industrial resources with its SMART network and services. It also promotes 6G research and innovation, and integrity with member countries for the deployment of advanced 5G networks.
In 2018, University of Oulu in Finland launched its 6G flagship, the world’s first 6G research program. Supported by the Finland Research Council and complemented by numerous social media JU projects, the mission of the 6G flagship is to imagine and define a 6G-enabled digital world moving towards the 2030s.
To learn more about the 6G flagship and how it can help prepare 6G Europe, the Innovation Platform spoke to Professor Ali Putu, Director of 6G Flagship.
Could you please explain in detail about the 6G flagship and its main goals?
6G Flagship is the world’s first major 6G research program. The company aims to create a technical foundation for wireless systems that will support a sustainable, data-driven society in the 2030s.
The work includes developing technology enablers, building a large-scale 6G test network and operating a 6G test center already approved within NATO’s Diana framework. It also focuses on five vertical application areas: health, industry, vehicle, energy, security and defense. In addition to this, it offers vision leadership through international collaboration and white papers that help shape standards and policies. It is scheduled to be published in November at 6G Resilience Summit, and on the 15th there will be the 15th white paper on the 15th. You can register for the summit here.
Both the Finland Research Council and Or University are funding equally the eight-year project. Plus, there’s a lot of external funding.
What are the main challenges facing advances in networks across Europe and around the world?
Key challenges in network development include protecting large-capacity spectra, managing hardware energy demand, especially at higher frequencies, and meeting AI-driven networks where security and trust are evolving. There are social issues regarding fair access and environmental sustainability, and political risks from fragmented standards and geopolitical competition.
How does the 6G flagship work to address these challenges?
Approach the challenge from several angles. Basic research forms the base, but also invests heavily in experimental platforms such as test networks and test centers. These environments allow us to verify ideas with industry partners under conditions that reflect actual developments. At the European level, our projects address sustainability, resilience and inclusion through a joint venture between smart networks and services. The HEXA-X-II is a great example for building a consistent system vision that connects individual technological advances to a wider 6G framework.
It is utmost important to ensure that your network infrastructure remains resilient. How do organizations and governing bodies help advance network resilience?
Resilience is not achieved through technology alone. Regulatory support for strategic spectrum management by authorities, space for large-scale testing, and spectrum sharing for private networks that complement the services of wireless providers in particular. Open standards help reduce dependencies and improve adaptability, but investments should focus on designs that provide safe, energy-efficient, privacy. Most importantly, resilience relies on collaboration. Governments, researchers and industries need to co-create networks that continue to function under stress.
Are you on track to meet the vision of a data-driven, sustainable future society made possible by the 2030s by unlimited wireless connections for myopia?
The current trajectory is promising, but not without risk. Scientific breakthroughs, sustained EU and national funding, and global collaborations suggest advances towards 6G in the 2030s. The vision of a data-driven, sustainable society with nearby connectivity remains technically sound. However, it depends on the spectral policy, sustainability goals, and coordinated actions across the security framework. Commercial expansion is still in ten years and will be decisive for the next few years.
This article will also be featured in the 23rd edition of Quarterly Publication.
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