Message from the Technical Programme Committee Co-Chairs
Welcome to 5G and Beyond
It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the European Conference on Networks and Communications (EuCNC 2018), the 27th edition in the series. We are convinced that, once again, this conference will be a worthwhile and memorable experience.
The host city, Ljubljana, is one of the most sustainable destinations in the World and proudly holds the title of the European Green Capital. Being a city of culture and arts, it is home to numerous theatres, museums and galleries, and boasts one of the oldest philharmonic orchestras in the World. Ljubljana is also high on the list of European capitals of science and innovation. With numerous research and scientific institutions, Ljubljana is home to more than 50 000 students and boasts a remarkable rise of entrepreneurship and high-tech companies in the recent past, which altogether gives the place a special young and creative vibe.
This is what makes Ljubljana a great environment to discuss connectivity platforms and networks, which are at the heart of digital transformation from both the economic and societal perspective. They underpin the development of numerous societal applications, such as connected cars, smart manufacturing, smart energy grids, or personalised healthcare, which will also enable the next generation of the “app economy” leveraging the full power of the IoT and the data value chain. In line with Europe’s Gigabit society targets for 2025, 5G is expected to be an essential enabler for the next big step in digital transformation by providing connectivity to people, wherever they live, work, gather or travel. It is also expected to transform the economy by providing wireless connectivity to all objects, in line with our Strategy for Digitising European Industry.
We are entering into a critical phase in the global race to 5G. EuCNC 2018 is an excellent occasion to demonstrate that Europe is moving quickly towards large-scale trials and deployment initiatives, to create favourable conditions for the creation of the 5G ecosystem – including verticals – and to prepare for its market introduction. At the same time and in view of Europe’s next framework research and innovation programme, EuCNC provides the right forum for research discussions beyond 5G, as the connectivity landscape is expected to evolve dramatically in the next decade. The years 2020 to 2030 will witness world-wide competition on mastering evolving 5G technologies and beyond 5G, thus they represent a decisive field of new research and innovation and market opportunities.
In order to maintain and reinforce Europe’s position in network and service infrastructures while enabling a human-centric Internet, the Commission has launched the Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiative, which can meet the new and more diverse needs of European citizens and businesses in a secure and trusted way, integrating technological game changers, such as Distributed Ledger Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, or interactive and immersive technologies. The theme for EuCNC 2018 “5G and Beyond” reflects well the EU’s 5G research/deployment roadmap as well as the future development of smart network connectivity technologies in Europe, in the context of NGI and in relation to all global initiatives in the field.
The event starts with a pre-conference day hosting eight workshops and three tutorials. From Tuesday onward, attendees are welcome to enjoy four exciting keynotes, three panel sessions addressing the current hot topics in 5G and a broad choice of regular and special sessions organised in six parallel technical tracks. Also, the event will host an exciting exhibition of latest advances in 5G and beyond.
When here for the event, guests will have a unique chance to enjoy Ljubljana’s warm and lively summer evenings on its vibrant riverbanks and explore cultural and culinary gems of Slovenia. We wish you an enjoyable and memorable EuCNC 2018. Welcome to Ljubljana!
Bojan Križ & Pearse O’Donohue
Conference General Co-Chairs