Special Session 4: “Robust-6G: Advancing Security and Automation for Next-Generation 6G Networks”
Date, hour and room to be defined
Session chair:
- Ramin Fuladi (Ericsson Research, TR)
The evolution towards 6G networks is characterized by unprecedented openness, programmability, and deep integration of AI-driven automation across all layers of the network stack. While these capabilities enable new services, vertical use cases, and operational efficiencies, they also significantly expand the attack surface and introduce complex trust dependencies spanning the physical layer, AI models, data pipelines, and autonomous control loops. As a result, security can no longer be treated as a static or add-on function, but must instead become a native, adaptive, and autonomous property of the 6G system.
Current security approaches, largely designed for earlier generations of mobile networks, are insufficient to address the dynamics, scale, and heterogeneity of future 6G environments. In particular, emerging challenges such as trustworthy AI operation, zero-touch network management, exposure of security capabilities to external stakeholders, and fast-timescale physical-layer threats require new architectural principles and tightly integrated, closed-loop security mechanisms.
This Special Session is motivated by the need to bring together recent research advances and architectural insights that address these challenges in a holistic manner. Building on the outcomes of the EU-funded ROBUST-6G project, the session provides a platform to discuss how security can be embedded across the 6G lifecycle, from closed-loop physical-layer security in the RAN to AI-enabled, automated security management and governance frameworks.
By combining research, industrial, and standardization perspectives, the session aims to stimulate informed discussion on open challenges, practical deployment considerations, and alignment with ongoing and future 6G standardization efforts. The session is timely and highly relevant to the EuCNC & 6G Summit community, as it directly addresses the foundations required for building trustworthy, resilient, and autonomous 6G networks.
Programme
The proposed Special Session is structured as a 90-minute interactive session combining invited expert contributions and a moderated panel discussion, with strong emphasis on discussion and audience engagement. The session is organized around key security and automation challenges for future 6G networks, aligned with the research pillars of the ROBUST-6G project and ongoing 6G developments.
The session will start with short invited presentations providing context and setting the scene for discussion, including an overview of security-native and autonomous 6G concepts and selected ROBUST-6G outcomes. These contributions will highlight architectural principles, key challenges, and emerging solutions spanning physical-layer security, AI-enabled security management, and governance aspects.
The core of the session will be a moderated panel discussion, structured around the following thematic topics, each represented by a recognized expert:
- Exposing Security Capabilities to External Stakeholders
Dr. Diego R. Lopez, Telefónica, Spain - Trustworthy AI Services for 6G
Prof. Madhusanka Liyanage, University College Dublin, Ireland - Zero-Touch Security Automation
Mr. Pietro G. Giardina, Nextworks, Italy - Closed-Loop Physical-Layer Security
Prof. Stefano Tomasin, University of Padova, Italy - Pervasive Monitoring and Data Governance
Prof. Manuel Gil Pérez, University of Murcia, Spain - Standardization Aspects
Dr. Ömer Tuna, Security Research Leader, Ericsson Research Turkey
Each panelist will briefly introduce their topic, followed by an interactive discussion addressing technical advances, open research challenges, deployment considerations, and implications for standardization. Active audience participation will be encouraged throughout the session. The session will conclude with a wrap-up summarizing key takeaways and future research and standardization directions.
