The EU-funded project PIONEERS-6G – Platform and Device Innovations for Energy-Efficient, Resilient, and Secure 6G IoT Systems, coordinated by Karlstad University with partners from six countries, aims to develop the mobile networks of the future with a focus on Internet of Things (IoT) services and applications.
6G is the sixth generation of mobile networks and the next step in the evolution of wireless communication. It is expected to be introduced in the 2030s and aims to offer higher speeds, lower latency, and more reliable connections than 5G. It will also be able to support a much larger number of connected devices simultaneously, ultimately fulfilling the requirements of several IoT scenarios.
Giuseppe Caso, Associate Professor of Computer Science and project coordinator, is active within the research area Distributed Intelligent Systems and Communication (DISCO) at the Department of Computer Science:
“We in the research group are proud to contribute our expertise to this ambitious European initiative and look forward to developing the next generation of secure and sustainable 6G IoT systems. As project coordinator, I will have overall responsibility for leading the project, which I am very much looking forward to.”
The goal is for future digital services not only to work better but also to be scalable globally. This means the technologies forming 6G systems must be able to handle very large numbers of connected devices worldwide without compromising performance or security.
The project addresses limitations in today’s 5G systems and aims to enable reliable digital services even in challenging environments such as factories, underground facilities, underwater infrastructure and across national borders.
“At the core of the project is the development of a platform designed to provide a stable and modern foundation for how connected devices such as sensors, smart home solutions, and industrial systems communicate and collaborate. By integrating energy efficiency, security, and robustness from the start, the project aims to create solutions that are both reliable and protected against attacks,” says Giuseppe Caso.
PIONEERS-6G is coordinated by Karlstad University and brings together partners from Spain, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Greece with Telefónica Innovación Digital, NEC Laboratories Europe, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Telecomunicazioni, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, RINICOM Limited, MULINI SRL, and Envolve Entrepreneurship. The project is funded under the European Union’s Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) with a total contribution of approximately 3 million Euro and will run for 3 years.
