Keynotes

Chair: Luis M. Correia, IST – Univ. Lisbon, Portugal

Michael Peeters

(VP R&D Connectivity/imec, Belgium/ Professor Advanced Wireless & 5G Networks/Universiteit Antwerpen, Belgium)

Wednesday, 9 June, 9:30-11:00 CEST

 

Abstract

5G deployments are still in their infancy and yet here we are debating the multiple dimensions that will characterize 6G. Some may claim that this is just the result of an overheated hype engine but there is more to this: our gut is telling us that we have reached the edge of what current microelectronic technologies can enable. This is not unique to our domain. With Moore’s law under pressure, a rethinking of what the semiconductor industry calls scaling is also underway. Blending of different technologies together to achieve benefits at the system level using System-Technology Co-Optimization (STCO) is taking central stage. The current vision of 6G requires the support of the THz band, novel antenna technologies, evolution of network topology, spectrum sharing, edge AI, split computing, high-precision time-sensitive networks, and so on. Let’s ground ourselves with some key zeroth-order approximations that can guide us in analyzing the constraints of such systems and show where these lead us.

CV

Michael Peeters is VP of R&D for Connectivity at imec. His previous experience as CTO for both the Wireline and Wireless business lines at (what is now) Nokia was built on the culture, enthusiasm, and love for technology and science that he got from his time at Bell Labs—and the principles of Free Inquiry bestowed on him by his Alma Mater, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Next to this, he has served as the President of the CBRS Alliance, on the Board of 5G Americas, and on the Board of ATIS. Passionate about inspiring the next generation of engineers with the challenges of communications, he currently also lectures in Advanced Wireless and 5G Networks at the University of Antwerp.
During his research career starting with a Ph.D. in Applied Physics and Photonics from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), he has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, many white papers and holds patents in the access and photonics domains. An electrotechnical engineer by training, he is a senior member of IEEE and a Fellow of the VUB.
Outside of work, his quest to discover the recipe for a perfect lasagna is balanced by bouts of long-distance running to offset the inherent caloric intake. See also: https://www.linkedin.com/in/multiplex/

Presentation available!

Chair: Luis M. Correia, IST – Univ. Lisbon, Portugal

Manuel Ramalho Eanes

Executive Board Member, NOS SGPS, PT

Wednesday, 9 June, 9:30-11:00 CEST

 

 

Abstract

NOS is the largest communications and entertainment group in Portugal. It offers state-of-the-art fixed and mobile solutions to all market segments, supported by the most advanced technologies.In 2020, NOS was the largest private Portuguese R&D investor, reflecting a strong commitment to innovation and technological development, which is part of NOS DNA since the first day. In this context, we look at 5G not only as our main strategic pillar but as an important catalyst for the upcoming industrial revolution, which promises to change the way we live, how companies work and how societies govern themselves. The disruption that 5G contains, more than the direct extrapolation of its characteristics, envolves all the adjacent technologies that it drives. Without the latency, reliability, resilience, speed and performance of 5G, these technologies would never be scalable. In this sense, 5G is the accelerator of a digital society marked by immersive experiences, autonomous and collaborative mechanisms, massive exchanges of information, artificial intelligence and sensing of the physical world. To seize this opportunity, it is therefore necessary to work in a network, fostering comprehensive and complementary ecosystems, with a great focus on experimentation, but also on the real value for the economy. That’s how we started our path to 5G at NOS. By creating agile teams, with employees from multiple departments, but working close to various partners, ensuring the adaptation of technology to each business, in different contexts. In this sense, we believe that we are at the forefront of technology implementation, actively contributing to the construction of smart cities and the development of society 5.0. As an engine of transformation in Portugal and always embracing the future, NOS wants to inspire and mobilize everyone to conquer new possibilities, in a country and culture that has the fundamental requirements to incubate the ideas and initiatives that will transform the world.

CV

Manuel Ramalho Eanes is an Executive Board Member of NOS SGPS. Manuel is responsible for the B2B segment and leads the strategy for ICT, IoT and Cloud services, positioning NOS at the forefront of innovation and business transformation. Manuel is also leading the mission of helping Portuguese enterprises to embrace the digital revolution, mainly through the adoption of 5G, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things or Big Data.
Before joining NOS, Manuel was an Executive Board Member of Optimus – Comunicações, SA with responsibility over the areas of Corporates and Operators, and before that he was head of the Residential Fixed Business, Central Marketing and Data Services, Personal Sales, Small Businesses and Business Development. Manuel Ramalho Eanes started his career at McKinsey & Co and holds a Degree in Business Management by the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Lisboa) and an MBA by INSEAD.

Chair: Ari Pouttu, Univ. Oulu, Finland

Roberto Verdone

(Professor, University of Bologna, and Director, WiLab, Italy)

Thursday, 10 June, 14:00-15:30 CEST

 

 

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm, after two decades of development based on non-3GPP short and long range radio technologies, is entering a new phase with the deployment of 5G networks, which aim at integrating it into the 3GPP systems. This will open the door to new IoT applications like for instance the Industrial IoT for predictive maintenance. However, 5G will not be able to cover all requirements posed by the most advanced applications. With the advent of 6G, a new phase will be initiated: new IoT domains will be addressed, and more ambitious key performance indicators will be set. This talk discusses some of the new IoT scenarios envisaged for the 6G era.
From the technological side, 6G might introduce several disruptive new enabling technologies. Some of them will appear already in the current decade in the context of 5G, and will express their full potential with 6G; some others require a level of maturity that will make them available only in the next decade and so will be implemented only with 6G. To mention some: AI-based networking, the use of meta-surfaces, drone base stations, joint communication and radio detection, high-precision localisation, THz communications. In this talk we also discuss which ones promise to boost the IoT towards more advanced paradigms and applications.

CV

Roberto Verdone is Full Professor in Telecommunications at the Univ. of Bologna, where he heads the a research group performing research on i) Radio Resource Management for mobile systems, ii) MAC, routing and topology aspects of the IoT, iii) architectures and technologies for the IoT. In particular, he is active in the field of the intelligent IoT in 5G and 6G networks, THz communications, and UAV-aided networks. Since 2020 he is Director of the National Laboratory of Wireless Communications, WiLab, participated by about fifty researchers. He is also co-Director of the WiLab-Huawei Joint Innovation Center on “Intelligent IoT for 6G” established in 2020 for the deace 2020-2030. He published about 200 research papers, on IEEE journals / conferences. He has been involved / has coordinated more than ten European projects, and many industrial contracts in the past 15 years. He contributed in various roles to the Organising Committee of several IEEE conferences like ICC, VTC, PIMRC. In 2014, he was the organiser and General Co-Chair of the first edition of EuCNC, held in Bologna.

Presentation available!

Chair: Ari Pouttu, Univ. Oulu, Finland

Peter Vetter

Head of Access & Devices Research Lab, Nokia Bell Labs, USA

Thursday, 10 June, 14:00-15:30 CEST

 

 

Abstract

The 6G era will be defined by the symbiosis of digital, physical, and biological worlds with the goal to augment human productivity and wellbeing. While in the 5G era, with thanks to the massive scale deployment of sensors, the digital world perfectly captures past and current states of the physical world, the connection of these two worlds with the biological or cognitive world remain largely unaddressed. We believe that in the 6G era cognitive systems will anticipate individual and collective intents to plan for actions in the worlds that optimally serve human needs. For that to happen we will need to witness significant advances in artificial intelligence, computing and sensing technologies. The 6G network will be the essential infrastructure for the integration of these future capabilities.

CV

Peter Vetter is Head of A-Lab (Access & Devices Research Lab) at Nokia Bell Labs and Bell Labs Fellow. He is leading an eminent global team with the mission to invent game changing innovations that define the future of mobile and fixed access. Under his leadership, he and his teams have realized several world-first system demonstrations in access and successfully transferred industry leading concepts into product. After a PhD at Gent University (Belgium) and post-doc at Tohoku University (Japan), he joined Alcatel (now Nokia) in Antwerp in 1993 and has been based in Murray Hill, New Jersey since 2009.