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At EuCNC & 6G Summit 2026, SUSTAIN-6G, the SNS JU lighthouse project, showcased a strong and impactful presence through technical workshops, a dedicated standardisation session, live demonstrations, and stakeholder engagement activities. The project highlighted innovative solutions and methodologies that advance sustainability and support the development of future 6G systems.
Heidelberg, Germany, June 2026 — SUSTAIN-6G, the lighthouse project of the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU), demonstrated an impactful presence at EuCNC & 6G Summit 2026. The project contributed to key technical discussions, engaged with a broad range of stakeholders. It also presented concrete innovations advancing sustainability in future 6G systems, through a comprehensive set of activities: the organisation of technical workshops, a special session on standardisation, engaging demonstrations at the project booth, and direct stakeholder exchange. Furthermore, the project highlighted also methodologies advancing sustainability in future 6G systems.
Driving the Sustainability Agenda in 6G: SUSTAIN-6G actively shaped the sustainability dialogue through the organisation of two dedicated workshops:
“Sustainability in 6G: E2E Integration and Assessment”
Organised in collaboration with the SNS Sustainability Working Group, this workshop provided a platform to present the latest insights and results on holistic sustainability approaches. It also stimulated discussion on future research and innovation priorities required to advance end-to-end sustainability assessment in 6G.
“Sustainable by Design, Sustainable in Operation: The 6G Perspective”
This workshop focused on operational sustainability, addressing how high-level objectives can be translated into concrete mechanisms, control loops, and validation processes within live 6G systems. Contributions from 12 SNS projects, organised and chaired by the SNS Sustainability WG and support by SUSTAIN-6G addressed complementary sustainability dimensions, including semantic efficiency, energy-neutral devices, AI-native and federated orchestration.
In addition, SUSTAIN-6G contributed to the high-level special session:
“From Principles to Practice: Embedding Sustainability in 6G Standardisation”
This session brought together leading international standardisation bodies, including 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector, and European Telecommunications Standards Institute, alongside European experts. Discussions focused on the integration of sustainability principles into emerging 6G standards, identifying alignment, existing gaps, and pathways towards common metrics, methodologies, and compliance frameworks. The session highlighted the convergence of efforts across the ecosystem and reinforced Europe’s leadership in shaping globally relevant, sustainability-driven standards.
Collectively, these sessions emphasised the importance of embedding sustainability across the full lifecycle of 6G systems—from design and deployment to operation and standardisation—while advancing both methodological and implementation perspectives.
Demonstrating Innovation Through Live Use Cases : At its exhibition booth, SUSTAIN-6G presented six demonstrations, showcasing practical approaches to reducing energy consumption and enhancing system efficiency:
Photonic Continuity for Agriculture (WINGS ICT Solutions): Integration from zero-energy IoT devices to Fiber-Wireless (FiWi) networks
Agriculture Data vs Information (QAMPO): Enabling intelligent data utilisation for sustainable agriculture
Joint 6G and Smart Grid Resource Optimisation (WINGS ICT Solutions): Cross-domain efficiency between telecom and energy systems
RespAI Framework (Nokia): A framework for trustworthy and sustainable AI in 6G networks
Energy-Efficient Cloud-Native Network Functions (Ericsson): Scheduling approaches to optimise performance and energy consumption
MeeC Concept with UPF Offloading (Deutsche Telekom): A sustainability-driven architecture demonstrating measurable energy savings in core and RAN systems
A central objective across all demonstrations was to validate concrete mechanisms and technologies capable of significantly reducing power consumption in future network infrastructures.
Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Dialogue : SUSTAIN-6G’s workshops, sessions and booth attracted strong interest from a diverse group of stakeholders, including European Commission representatives, the project officer, and senior leaders from industry and research. The event provided a high-quality platform for exchange, enabling discussions on implementation challenges, standardisation pathways, and cross-sector collaboration.
To further strengthen stakeholder alignment, the project also launched a targeted survey to capture priorities and expectations regarding sustainability in 6G, supporting a more inclusive and impact-oriented innovation process.
Shape From Vision to Measurable Impact : SUSTAIN-6G’s participation at EuCNC & 6G Summit 2026 highlights its commitment to translating sustainability principles into practical and measurable outcomes. By combining advanced research, real-world demonstrations, and active stakeholder engagement, the project continues to contribute to the development of a sustainable, efficient, and globally competitive 6G ecosystem.
Project Co-ordinator: christoph.schmelz@nokia.com
SUSTAIN-6G at EuCNC
Copyright: SUSTAIN-6G
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