The European Commission unveiled a 6G research program last week called Hexa-X-II, composed of 44 organizations aiming to create a “pre-standardized platform and system view of 6G,” reported Telecoms.com. The $1.7 billion project will begin in January 2024 and run for two-and-a-half years, with Nokia retaining its lead on the project in phase II and Ericsson serving as the technical manager. The Commission hopes this project will solidify the EU as the “birthplace of 6G.”
According to Telecoms.com, the project’s first phase (Hexa-X) defined the vision and capabilities of 6G, while Hexa-X-II will attempt to turn the concept into a reality. To accomplish the project goals, the EU will bring together operators, vendors, technology providers, and representatives from different verticals, as well as research institutions.
The Commission has tasked the Hexa-X-II facilitators with contributing to a zero-carbon footprint and limiting material and energy consumption. Sustainability, inclusion — meaning not only benefiting rich countries — and trustworthiness in data transparency and security are meant to be the network’s backbone, according to the Commission.
“In the 6G era, the digital, physical, and human worlds will become far more integrated,” claimed Peter Vetter, president of Nokia’s Bell Labs Core Research, in a statement. “Our goals must reflect this level of integration and inter-dependency. As billions more people and devices get connected, urbanization intensifies, and we strive to manage the limitations on energy and materials, the role of networks and 6G will only deepen. It is essential that we keep the larger context in mind as we imagine the new network.”
The Hexa-X-II project forms part of the EU’s Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking. Telecoms.com reported that half of the budget would come from the EU “coffers,” with research and innovation (R&I) grants in the mix.
“The R&I projects will develop smart communication components, systems, and networks for 6G following both an evolutionary path through further enhancements of 5G advanced technology, as well as a more revolutionary path by investigating the benefits of promising technological enablers,” the Commission explained. “Technology validation initiatives will develop SNS (smart networks and services) experimental infrastructures and carry out large-scale SNS trials and pilots in several business and industrial sectors such as media, industrial IoT, energy, construction, automotive, eHealth, culture, agriculture, and education.”
Reader Interactions