5G and next generation mobile performance compliance testing assurance
Antonio Cuadra-Sánchez
Indra Minsait
The 5G-PERFECTA project has developed a 5G performance compliance testing assurance solution that measures the KPIs to show the real behavior of 5G network and services.
The challenge of CELTIC-NEXT project 5G-PERFECTA has been to develop the technology to assure the 5G service quality based on data processing, that is, to guarantee that the quality of 5G networks is aligned with the expectations of bandwidth, latency and other key performance indicators. A series of innovation activities have been settled in order to establish a reference architecture for supervising 5G networks by means of monitoring techniques that measure 5G performance indicators to evaluate the real performance of 5G networks. The consortium, led by Indra Minsait, gathers 16 partners from Industry & Telco, Research Centers, Academia and SMEs of Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey.
Motivation
The 5G infrastructure will deliver solutions, architectures, technologies and standards for the ubiquitous 5G communication infrastructures of the next decade. The following parameters are indicative of the new network characteristics to be achieved at an operational level: 10 times to 100 times higher typical user data rate and End-to-End latency of < 1ms. This new high-performance network needs to be effectively tested to assure that 5G technology is actually offered with high quality levels. For this purpose, we have developed a 5G performance compliance testing assurance solution that calculates KPI (Key Performance Indicators) to show the real behavior of 5G network and services. In addition, we have developed automated processes, tools and mechanisms ensuring 5G service quality, based on data processing and analytics approaches.
Scenarios and use cases
We have defined two main project scenarios and six use cases. The 5G Network Performance scenario provides the performance monitoring information and includes the testbed and measurement scope for 5G network performance analysis. The 5G Quality Assurance scenario provides the quality of service monitoring information, including the time-sensitive networking mechanisms, the deployment of critical services with performance guarantees, and the QoS observability for 5G. See in figure 1 the project scenarios and use cases.
5G-PERFECTA scenarios and use cases
Impact
The 5G performance compliance testing assurance solution will help the digital providers (operators, service providers, applications providers, etc.) to evaluate how next generation services are performed on the 5G networks for different purposes: measuring of 5G network performance, validating the services on 5G networks, monitoring the QoS and QoE, launching of new applications, etc. In addition, there is a very strong focus on end users in 5G PERFECTA, since they are the ones who really benefit from the correct behaviour of the 5G network. For this purpose, we have considered the end-user perspective in the analysis of the performance of services on 5G networks.
Conclusion
The project will provide capabilities that improve efficiency in content delivery by means of user-oriented quality assurance capabilities, which will be able to impact a significant part of the 5G revenues expected for the following years. The outcomes of this project will allow network and service providers to deploy the right 5G infrastructure to run the most advanced video technology business cases before final 5G standardization is complete.
5G-PERFECTA will provide a monitoring platform that delivers real measurements of several new feasible services over the new generation networks, including beyond 4G and the 5G network, tested on a real infrastructure. These performance indicators will allow to determine the suitability of new mobile infrastructures, including 5G to support next generation applications in mobility, such as remote driving, medical care, logistics, retail, Smart Cities, Industry 4.0, etc.
This project has been co-funded in Spain by the Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial (CDTI), in Sweden by Vinnova, in Portugal by Portugal 2020, in Poland by Narodowe Centrum Badań i Rozwoju and in Turkey by Tübitak.
On 1st July, Austria took over the Eureka Chairmanship for one year – already for the second time in the 35-year history of Eureka. The ambitious motto of the Austrian Chairmanship is ‘‘Towards a New Eureka’’. CELTIC News editor Milon Gupta asked Eureka Chairman Ulrich Schuh from the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), which hosts the Chairmanship on behalf of the Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs, about the ambitions and plans behind this motto.
Which challenges and opportunities do you see for Eureka today and tomorrow?
U. Schuh: Since the foundation of Eureka, the world has changed fundamentally and also the conditions for international cooperation in the field of innovation. Eureka faces the challenge that member countries currently have a wide set of opportunities at hand that allow the support of innovative companies at European and global level. So Eureka has to prove its added value. At the same time, the model of Eureka that is based on the principle of variable geometry and a decentralised organisation is more modern than ever. This has allowed Eureka to become a truly global organisation with 47 countries in its network.
What are the main priorities of the Austrian Eureka Chairmanship?
U. Schuh: The Austrian Chairmanship is guided by the slogan ‘New Eureka’, which is also the headline of the new Strategic Roadmap approved during the last Dutch Chairmanship. We have three priorities. First, new instruments will be launched during this year: the new Eurostars Partnership with the European Commission and especially the New Clusters Programme. Second, Austria will intensify and enlarge global cooperation within Eureka. We are proud to welcome Singapore to our network during our Chairmanship. Third, we will improve our services for our stakeholders and want to encourage all Eureka countries to be even more engaged
in the activities of our network.
Which enhanced roles do you anticipate for the current Eureka Clusters in the new Eureka Clusters Programme?
U. Schuh: The Clusters are a success story of Eureka, but we have also understood that the potential of the Clusters programme has not yet been fully exploited. In order to boost the impact of the Clusters, we want to increase their visibility to potential stakeholders and
to use synergies to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Visibility will be enhanced by synchronised thematic calls developed in cooperation with the existing Cluster communities. Synergies will be realised by the close cooperation of Cluster Communities through a multi-annual strategy and an annual work programme. The synchronised Call on Artificial Intelligence is a first successful pilot in this respect.
How is the involvement of non-European countries like Canada and Korea enhancing the Eureka network?
U. Schuh: At its foundation, Eureka allowed Member States of the European Union to benefit from cooperation with EFTA countries in order to establish a Western European alternative in research, development and innovation to global competitors. Meanwhile, Eureka is a truly global organisation with 47 countries. The non-European Eureka countries have proven to be an essential asset of
Eureka. Korea became a partner country in 2017; Canada is also very active and has for example initiated the COVID-19 ECHO call in April this year. Also, our other associated countries – South Africa, Chile and Argentina – are reliable partners in the Eureka family.
How should the Eureka programmes add value in the evolving European and global innovation landscape?
U. Schuh: After 35 years the Eureka model of cooperation is more relevant than ever. The most pressing current challenges of countries in Europe and all over the world are the
COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. It is understood that these challenges cannot be solved at local, regional, national or even at European level. Here, global cooperation is inevitable, and this is true especially in the field of technology, where solutions have to be developed. Whenever two companies from two different countries are developing an R&D project, Eureka is the most suitable platform to support this initiative. We have the infrastructure in place, the available funding, efficient procedures, and via the Globalstars programme we reach out all around the world far beyond our current 47 countries.
CELTIC-NEXT has been relaunched with a new, ambitious roadmap as part of the revised Eureka Clusters Programme. The relaunch is very timely in a world of dramatic change that requires novel ICT solutions addressing the economic, societal, and environmental challenges the Eureka member states and the world as a whole are facing.
The revised Eureka Clusters Programme
The CELTIC-NEXT Cluster application for the four-year period 2021-2025 was accepted, together with the Multi-Annual Plan for the Eureka Clusters, on 18th June 2021. This concluded a relaunch process that had started in June 2020. The new Eureka Clusters model is meant to encourage industry-wide collaboration and the forming of new innovation ecosystems. The revised Eureka Clusters Programme aims to align and synchronise the Clusters’ processes.
Since June 2020, the Eureka Clusters had already intensified their joint and synchronised activities, most visibly through two jointly organised AI calls in 2020 and 2021, which both mobilised a substantial number of excellent project proposals.
Topical areas of the CELTIC-NEXT Roadmap 2021–2025
Updated CELTIC-NEXT roadmap for 2021 – 2025
The theme of CELTIC-NEXT for the new period is: “Next-Generation Communications for a secured, trusted, and sustainable digital society”. All topics identified in the strategic roadmap of CELTIC-NEXT for the 2021–2025 period have been aligned under this theme. These topics are neither comprehensive nor prescriptive. In line with the bottom-up approach of CELTIC-NEXT, projects are free to explore any subject, as long as it is related to ICT and telecommunications.
A core part of the roadmap relates to the evolution of communication networks. The roadmap identifies the ongoing digitisation and automation of many aspects of our lives as fundamental drivers for transforming the communications network architecture and functionality. The shift to automation of everything is driven by current enabling technology trends like cloud-based services with dynamic, adaptive scaling, extensive virtualisation, novel software-defined automated solutions and ever-increasing wireless connectivity with a great promise of 5G, Beyond 5G, and the nascent 6G, and will require a redefinition of networking concepts and a new digital infrastructure involving radical shifts in technologies, architectures and business models to meet future digital needs.
The roadmap highlights a number of important trends and requirements expected to shape the projects and results of the CELTIC-NEXT Cluster in the coming years, including: pervasiveness, almost infinite network capacity, imperceptible latency, tera-scale things, cognitive operations, and perpetual protection.
Addressing the digital needs will require significant changes in network architecture and technology. Nine dimensions are identified in the roadmap towards an end-to-end convergent network architecture: 1. Massive-scale access, 2. Converged edge cloud, 3. Smart network fabric, 4. Universal adaptive core, 5. Programmable network operating system, 6. Network slicing, 7. Augmented cognition systems, 8. Digital value platforms, and 9. Dynamic data security.
Further related areas of the roadmap beyond communication networks in the narrow sense include: cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and big data, ICT solutions for sustainability, ICT-enabled health and wellness, new solutions for consumption and production, smart cities and smart territories, smart transport, smart energy, smart agriculture, smart home and smart building, digital enterprise and digital education, content, entertainment and gaming, fintech, and digital life services.
Many of the topics identified in the roadmap go across several Eureka Clusters, which is intentional, as ICT is at the core of innovation in all vertical sectors. In line with the concept of the revised Cluster Programme, CELTIC-NEXT will use these cross-Cluster topics as opportunities for creating synergies and increasing impact across the whole programme. Only in this way can CELTIC-NEXT and the other Clusters in the programme continue delivering top-level industry-driven innovations addressing the needs of economy, society and environment. In line with this cross-Cluster collaboration spirit, CELTIC-NEXT is one of three Core Technologies Clusters, together with partner Clusters ITEA (software) and Xecs (hardware). As a Pillar Cluster, CELTIC-NEXT supports the two more application-based Clusters EUROGIA2020 (low-carbon energy technologies) and SMART (manufacturing).
Excellence targets
CELTIC-NEXT has defined a set of excellence targets in order to keep its activities focused on achieving substantial measurable impacts. These targets are divided into three areas:
1. Technical excellence targets › Accelerate the deployment and take-up of new advanced end-to-end ICT services, employing the new network concepts of 5G and leading to the implementation of 6G in Europe
› Actively facilitate the adoption of those ICT technologies by all targeted Verticals into their communities, business models and processes
2. Economic excellence targets › Consolidate the position of European ICT manufacturers and service providers within Europe and on the global market
› Contribute to all Eureka Communities tackling the technological and socio-economic challenges in a holistic way by considering the end-to-end perspective of new communications solutions
3. Societal and environmental excellence targets › Investigate where advanced communications can reduce carbon footprints for many vertical sectors
› Assist European nations and industry to access the societal benefits and returns of being at the forefront of the new digital society
› Consolidate the European sovereignty in ICT technologies and services as well as other critical infrastructures relying on ICT infrastructures, like the Energy Grid
These targets are highly ambitious and require close collaboration between the private and the public sector. The revised Eureka Clusters Programme provides the structure and the ecosystem to achieve them.
Tiia Ojanperä
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd.
The motivation for CELTIC project VIRTUOSE was to develop video services that are scalable, secure and easily deployable on different computing platforms. This was achieved by using cloud computing and virtualization techniques for deployment of video services in order to realize different core use cases.
The three-year project (2016-2019) contributed to several R&D areas in the context of the core use cases. VIRTUOSE was a joint undertaking of 19 industrial and research partners from five European countries: Finland, Germany, Romania, Spain and Turkey. Nokia was the project coordinator and VTT the technical coordinator in VIRTUOSE.
Approach
The four core use cases studied during the project were: cloud gaming, multiparty video communications, video transcoding & distribution, and video analytics. These video services benefitted from virtualized components and a common system architecture, allowing easy and dynamic video service deployment and scaling. Within the work areas, several sub-use cases were analysed and their implementations showcased in the form of demonstrators.
Novel cloud computing techniques, consisting of virtualization solutions, such as KVM, and Linux containers, such as Docker and LXC, were used to containerize the video services. Rancher was deployed to manage containerized service instances. In this manner, the VIRTUOSE architecture is able to offer solutions to the trade-off between distribution of the computation and localization of the data, as well as making the source code portable to different virtualized platforms.
The figure shows the applicationes targeted by VIRTUOSE and a common framework for their realization.
Achieved results
The main results of the VIRTUOSE project include a common architecture for the different core use cases and virtualized components for video coding, analysis and streaming that can be easily deployed, maintained and scaled using lightweight containers. The project advanced the state-of-the-art through several algorithmic and system-level contributions in different domains.
For the cloud gaming use case, a low-latency video encoder was developed using a low-complexity approach called logarithmical hopping encoding (LHE). The implementation was published as open source and integrated in the popular multimedia framework FFmpeg. For the video transcoding & distribution use case, Docker was used to containerize different video services and showcase a scenario where a video service provider sets up a new video distribution service for end users. In the developed demonstrator, video is transcoded in real-time, streamed over a content delivery network (CDN), and accessed with a HbbTV compatible set-top box. Virtualizing different components of the processing and transmission chain significantly advanced the flexibility, time to market and scalability of video-on-demand (VoD) services.
For the multiparty video communications, a new motion adaptive layer selection algorithm was developed, which provides continuous video delivery and highly increased quality of experience (QoE), especially on high motion activity video streams. Furthermore, an adaptive approach was adopted, in which containers for video conferencing services are scaled based on the number of participants. Efforts in the video analysis were focused on the development of low-complexity algorithms and approaches based on neural networks that provide high accuracy. Specifically, an object tracking algorithm was developed that operates directly on compressed video data, and a new approach for object detection was developed that allows weakly-supervised training using transfer learning and synthetically generated training data. Several analysis algorithms were integrated into a virtualized platform for camera-based vehicle management in challenging parking lot environments.
Live demonstrators were showcased in both project-specific and public events. The VIRTUOSE consortium also actively disseminated the results in scientific, industrial and standardization forums.
Conclusion
VIRTUOSE contributed to several R&D areas, ranging from computing, telecommunication and image processing to artificial intelligence and neural networks, thanks to the wide coverage of the considered use cases. Development of a new low-latency video encoder for cloud gaming, VoD service streaming through CDN by using virtualized components for video encoding and distribution, introduction of a new motion adaptive layer selection algorithm for video conferencing and low complexity algorithms based on neural networks for video analysis were the main achievements. The project also conducted successful demonstration, dissemination and exploitation activities, including scientific and technical papers, patents applications, master and PhD studies and participation to a number of events and exhibitions.
The CELTIC project 4KREPROSYS developed a new integrated cost-effective approach for the production of 4K TV content. The solution is capable of covering the needs from indoor studio production up to difficult mobile outdoor production at large events. High-performance video compression for low-bandwidth usage, remote production capabilities and “all-IP” connectivity are the principle of the solution.
The production system was built by developing an integrated IP-based wireless system that can be used in the event production venues to capture audio-visual content in HD and Ultra-High Definition (UHD), including High Dynamic Range (HDR) formats ideal for covering large-scale sporting events, which require high outdoor mobility, with state-of-the-art image quality.
Main goals
The evolution of multimedia content and associated services towards improved user experience must rely on higher resolutions and more immersive and interactive formats. However, this is only possible if the production of such contents is economically viable and fully compatible and scalable with the production of traditional content formats. Previous production technologies and systems were the results of an “ad-hoc patchwork” of different components based on often non-compatible or non-appropriate legacy technologies that need to be integrated with difficulties and deployed in the field with very heavy and costly logistic means. New emerging and powerful technologies such as MPEG HEVC video compression, Internet/IP based wired and wireless connectivity with high bandwidth and low latencies, provided the motivation to re-think and re-design the essential components of TV content production infrastructures in a unified integrated approach.
The project focused its investigations and developments on the integration of MPEG HEVC and IP-based communications carrying content and service signals for both wireless and wired production components. The goals were to study, develop and experiment in the field production systems that support high performance (i.e. very high bitrates) for high-quality UHD and advanced multi-view formats, including high robustness for reaching high levels of reliability for indoor and highly mobile outdoor settings. Major challenges were to implement very powerful processing systems in compact and battery-operated assemblies. Moreover, the systems were required to answer to the new location approach of the TV studio infrastructure, traditionally deployed in the field, which is becoming a “virtual” component that can be locally or remotely deployed according to the best logistic (i.e. economical) solution for the specific production operation.
New HEVC low-delay wireless system used during FIFA world cup
Approach
The technologies developed to design the new 4K production systems are:
› Ultra-low latency MPEG HEVC encoding and decoding (the only compression standard that provides the necessary performance to compress 4K TV signals to reasonable bitrates with full studio quality).
› Low-latency IP-based wired and wireless communication links for local and remote production for both audio-video UHD and service signals.
› Low latency switching and synchronization of compressed streams without packet loss for the mixing and multiplexing of wired and wireless content and service streams.
› Low-latency content protection for on-line encryption of compressed streams.
Main results
The new audio-video codecs and wireless transmitters developed by the project made possible to master a complete RF recording & transmission infrastructure supporting 4UHD resolution. Another innovation on the production side was the approach based on integration and transmission of IP signals for both content and services. Multiplexing of audio, video and service data managed at the very beginning of the chain enabled the reduction of the number of frequencies needed for production events. By realizing robust and reliable bi-directional full-IP connectivity, the project has made it possible to deploy production configurations with full remote studio control.
Applied to a post-production distribution chain, the technologies developed in 4KReProSys can also be used for increasing QoE in broadcast services and support new contribution concepts.
Conclusion and outlook
The major result of the project is a fully integrated production system, controlled by a remote studio via a low-band width communication infrastructure, for the production of UHD TV resolutions capable of covering highly mobile outdoor sport events. In July 2018, AMP-VISUAL-TV was able to set up and manage with full success the transmission of all wireless 4K cameras used for one month to cover 12 stadiums during the FIFA World Cup event in Russia.
The most visible European business perspective will be the possibility of all television and production companies to profit from the new 4K wireless and all-IP production capabilities associated to the new low-bandwidth remote production possibilities.
For the results achieved, the 4KReProSys consortium won a prestigious European distinction, the CELTIC Excellence Award for Multimedia.
The second Eureka Clusters AI Call, which was launched on 1st March, has attracted a high number of project proposals. By the deadline of 28th June, 43 proposals had been submitted. These proposals represent a total commitment of 2,518 person years by international researchers and developers from large enterprises, SMEs, research & technology organisations, and academia.
The aim of this Call is to boost the productivity and competitiveness of European industries through the adoption and use of AI systems and services. 14 Eureka countries have allocated budget to support ground-breaking Artificial Intelligence innovations. The Call has been jointly organised by the following Eureka Clusters: CELTIC-NEXT, EUROGIA, ITEA, PENTA–EURIPIDES, and SMART. For 9 of the submitted proposals, CELTIC-NEXT has been selected as the primary Cluster. For 6 additional proposals, CELTIC-NEXT has been selected as the secondary Cluster. This means that CELTIC-NEXT has been selected in more than a third of the proposals among the 5 Clusters.
The proposals are now being evaluated. Results are expected to be known by the end of September.
In the CELTIC-NEXT Spring Call 2021, 10 validated proposals submitted by 12th April 2021 got selected in the evaluation process, and out of them 6 new projects received the CELTIC-NEXT label.
The labelled projects are now eligible for funding by the project partners’ national funding bodies.
The consortia of the six projects include a total number of 76 partner organisations from 12 countries, ranging from leading industry players to SMEs and academic institutions.
The six projects include the following topics:
› 6G for Connected Sky
› Massive IoT over High Density LoRaWan Networks
› Ultra Scalable Wireless Access
› AI-Powered Communication for Health Crisis Management
› Federated AI Platform for Industrial Technologies
› Cloud-based Online Access to Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulations
As soon as the funding for the new projects is confirmed and they are ready to start, each of them will be presented on the CELTIC-NEXT website (www.celticnext.eu).
The advent of advanced mobile sensing and data processing technologies is a major driver in the transformation of many verticals including the healthcare sector. This shift is further accelerated due to societal changes including ageing populations and increasing global healthcare expenditures.
The three-year CELTIC project Health5G ran from 2019 to 2021, and it successfully aimed to discover healthcare scenarios that could bank on technological advancements especially in 5G mobile technologies.
Eureka Clusters like CELTIC-NEXT traditionally support high technology readiness level (TRL) outcomes. Obtaining results with a successful technology-market fit was ensured by the diverse skillsets of the 26 partners from 6 countries.
Approach
There can be a multitude of scenarios in healthcare. The project team started out by splitting all potential scenarios into three groups:
1. Healthcare at hospital: Advancements in sensing, connectivity, and AI lead to improvements in existing hospital-based patient treatments, resulting in more accurate, personalised, and trackable treatments for patients. Here, we worked on several interesting hospital use case scenarios.
2. Healthcare at home:Technological developments and ageing populations are enabling all patients, especially the elderly and the vulnerable, to be taken care of – not only at hospitals, but also at the comfort of their homes. In Health5G, we addressed this set of scenarios under what we called ‘Healthcare at home’.
3. Emergency healthcare:Ubiquitous connectivity and improved sensing & AI technologies were used in emergency scenarios to improve impacts of first aid and reduce fatalities. The results were studied in Health5G under emergency scenarios.
Such a discrete and upfront split provided a more systematic way by generating unique focal points to the consortium partners. Consequently, all the undertaken work would fit into one of the three categories of healthcare, whereby the pilots would also be designed accordingly.
These scenarios were considered with three different priorities in mind, the three pillars:
1. Patient healthcare:Medical centres and scenarios in which healthcare service is given and/or where healthcare workers are.
2. 5G wireless technology:The combination of several technological layers that leads to a commercial 5G signal, making the services available anywhere at any time to anyone.
3. Healthcare technologies:All the tech companies and researchers that do not necessarily provide healthcare but are the cogs in the healthcare machine, as they provide the underlying applications, data management, and security & privacy technologies.
Illustration of the Health5G conceptual architecture
Achieved results
Typical CELTIC projects deliver results close to market. Hence, creating use cases with a storyline supported by partners in a meaningful value chain was considered key to success. Indeed, Health5G concluded with six country pilots and a seventh demo on the overarching topic of cybersecurity:
› Swedish Country Pilot: Patient Home Care – Integrated Swedish Demonstration › German Country Pilot: Zero Touch Infrastructure Orchestration for Emergency Services › Korean Country Pilot: Wireless Patient Monitoring Inside Hospitals › Turkish Country Pilot: Healthcare at Hospital and at Home › Spanish Country Pilot: Gait Monitoring System and Automatic Deployer by Experis › Irish Country Pilot: Wearable Video from Paramedic to Hospital › Cybersecurity Pilot: Sirena – Security and Cybersecurity Tool
With the addition of smaller scale PoC demonstrations, the project generated 34 public demo videos.
On the exploitation front, Health5G outcomes already started turning into further R&I projects, postgraduate subjects, field trials, or in some cases purchase orders. As for dissemination, the statistics reveal 67 journal and conference papers, 10 conference, session or track organisations, 37 stakeholder value workshops, 2 standardisation contributions, and 5 press releases. So far as standardisation goes, the main emphasis was on compliance. Standards for wireless technologies (5G), security & privacy, and medical devices were carefully studied and understood by the consortium. Of secondary priority, contribution to standards was a topic where preparations were completed for proposing changes to the O-RAN standard.
Conclusion and outlook
During Healht5G, the consortium took valuable steps to reap rewards of 5G wireless technologies and advanced medical applications that rely on ubiquitous sensing and computing. A careful analysis of the needs of patients and healthcare providers will help pave the way for healthcare services of the future.
Collaboration for faster terrestrial and non-terrestrial convergence
On 4th April 2022, Eureka Cluster CELTIC-NEXT and the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which aims at establishing synergies and complementary activities in collaborative ICT research. The MoU will help foster economic growth and jobs through coordinated R&D&I activities and the commercial exploitation of generated results. The collaboration aims to leverage the complementarity of 6G-IA and CELTIC-NEXT and build on synergies to maximise the return on investment and to support achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
ICT has become, more than ever, a pillar of sovereignty and resiliency in the rapidly changing social, political and economic environment of today and its regional battlefields. The Russian war against Ukraine as well as the measures against the COVID-19 pandemic have shown how critical it is to count on both terrestrial and non-terrestrial ICT services, as together they constitute one of the critical infrastructures of a country, especially considering the digitalisation of the society and the vertical industries.
Therefore, it is mandatory to increase and leverage to its maximum the European and allied countries’ funding to reach a critical mass of R&D&I and a faster time-to-market for the European countries and their allies’ ICT industry.
This Memorandum of Understanding provides the platform for leveraging on each signatory’s strengths and cooperation, to support sovereignty and resiliency for Europe and allied countries.
The purpose of this MoU is to set out a simple framework where the signatories can identify the complementary nature of their respective objectives and to identify and implement shared activities that benefit both initiatives and contribute to the achievement of their goals.
The signatories aim to leverage the diversity of 6G-IA and CELTIC-NEXT as well as the fact that their projects are somewhat sequential in terms of their Technology Readiness Levels (TLRs), to maximise the return on the respective investments and increase the impact on the Sustainable Development Goals.
The signatories will focus on encouraging cross-programme discussions and workshops on potential technology pathfinders and solutions, with a view to stimulating a pipeline of new projects for both initiatives and sharing reciprocal contributions to each other’s Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) documents.
The focus of the cooperation is to stimulate the respective communities to consider the issues in a holistic way considering the “end-to-end” perspective of the new communications services being enabled by 5G and 6G technologies, as well as developing an understanding of the economic, environmental, and societal benefits.
How the MoU will be implemented
To support the achievement of their common objectives, the signatories intend to:
› Create awareness and promote opportunities for collaboration within and across the respective communities › Consult mutually on their SRIAs › Collaborate on the organisation and execution of activities with a view to reaching the common objectives identified › Participate in and support suitable events organized by the other signatory › Plan and manage joint activities in areas of common interest in line with the signatories’ respective legal frameworks › Undertake joint communication, as appropriate › Leverage their relevant resources and expertise necessary to ensure the success of the common objectives › Regularly review the effectiveness of this collaboration, with reference to the priorities agreed
Conclusion
This MoU is the second of a series of new collaborations for CELTIC-NEXT. This fulfils the objectives set by CELTIC-NEXT’s Core Group to develop CELTIC-NEXT’s support to and impact for the ICT community by enriching its DNA with new verticals and communities. The 6G-IA community is also eager to collaborate more with the CELTIC ICT community. This MoU offers the perfect playground for both communities to meet and work together on strategic topics and projects.
Enabling the faster convergence and development of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks & services
On 22 November 2021, Eureka Cluster CELTIC-NEXT and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed a Memorandum of Intent (MoI) in Porto, Portugal, which aims to bring their respective communities closer together. The MoI will help to foster economic growth and jobs through coordinated R&D&I activities and the commercial exploitation of integrated space and terrestrial systems enabled by 5G and 6G. The collaboration aims to leverage the complementarity of ESA and CELTIC-NEXT and build on synergies to maximise the return on investment and to support achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
In today’s rapidly changing political and economic environment and its regional battlefields, Space ICT has become, more than ever, a pillar for sovereignty and resiliency.
Space ICT is currently at the centre of attention for global industry and governments. On the economic side, new non-European entrants are currently disrupting the sector with Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellites and High-Altitude Pseudo-Satellites (HAPS). On the political side, satellites, with all their potential missions and services, have shown to be essential assets for countries, not only for media broadcasting and observation, but also for connectivity to individuals and objects.
European industry and countries must defend their economic and political shares in Space ICT. European industry must be able to support European countries’ ICT & data sovereignty. Sovereignty cannot be achieved by purchasing and deploying equipment and services from foreign vendors that could fall under or are already under control of non-trustable governments.
Recent events in Eastern Europe have shown, how critical it is to count on both terrestrial and non-terrestrial ICT services, as together they constitute one of the critical infrastructures of a country, especially considering the digitalisation of the society and the vertical industries.
Therefore, it is mandatory to increase and leverage to its maximum the European and allied countries’ funding to reach the critical mass for R&D&I and a faster time-to-market for the European countries and allies’ ICT industry.
Eureka Chairman Miguel Bello Mora, Elodie Viau – Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications and Head of ECSAT at the European Space Agency (ESA), and CELTIC Office Director Xavier Priem
The central role of space and satellites
Space, satellites and alike play an extended and increasingly critical role in 5G, 6G and overall ICT services enabling the digital society.
Space and satellites had already an important role in the global ICT world for the economy, industry, and the people. They have already provided media broadcasting (TV), geo-positioning (GPS, GONASS, etc.), data links (backhauling and access), and telephony (satellite phones). For data links and telephony, they were mainly meant to provide those services in areas not well or at all covered by terrestrial networks, and recently also where high-data capacity was not needed. LEO fleets have somehow changed this perception by providing high-peak capacity over the coverage of one LEO satellite, with the foreseeable de-facto limitation of the maximum number of simultaneously attached users, as those share the same total LEO satellite bandwidth.
Since 5G and reinforced with 5G-Advanced, and the planned 6G, more industry verticals are getting digitalised, automated and autonomised, wireless connected instead of wired connected, or simply “connected”. People will expect that services delivered by those vertical industry sectors will be ubiquitous, always on and resilient. A good example is Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV), being cars, trucks, terrestrial drones but also flying objects like future flying taxis, delivery drones, and more. 3GPP has now opened wider doors for the inclusion of SatCom besides the traditional backhauling role.
Space ICT remains a complex field with specifics in terms of operational conditions for R&D&I as well as field deployment.
Entry barriers to the Space ICT sector
Several factors create an often too high barrier to entry for new or small players originating from the terrestrial ICT sector to move their technologies and products to the space or third dimension:
› The specific space environment for radiations, dimensions and weight, power supply limitations (level and duration) implying very costly special hardware platforms, if they even exist › The satellites‘ launch costs › The inherent inaccessibility after launch in case of outages or upgrades poses challenges not existing for terrestrial network players › And, moreover, the space and satellite technologies (platform, payload, antennas…) knowledge itself
For the existing actors from the space sector, they seek for more competencies in 3GPP technologies and closer integration with terrestrial actors.
What CELTIC-NEXT and ESA bring to the collaboration
ESA TIA ARTES and CELTIC-NEXT provide various funding instruments: Open Calls, ITT, PPP for ESA, and bottom-up, flagship and joint ECP calls for CELTIC-NEXT. By exposing those instruments to each other’s community and together, both organisations will provide a privileged forum for cross-fertilisation and collaboration of both communities, leveraging the different TRLs, funding schemes and public funding agencies across the large sum of their respective geographical coverages: the Eureka countries for CELTIC and the ESA countries, some being common and some being different. Some stakeholders are common to ESA and CELTIC-NEXT, but most are new to the other. Both organisations see high complementarity in joining forces to leverage the association of their respective assets, forces, and communities.
As Elodie Viau said at the MoI Signature ceremony in Porto: “ESA`s strategic programme line Space for 5G & 6G demonstrates the essential nature of satellites for 5G and 6G. It sets the standards and frameworks for systems and services interoperability, as well as the base for integrating terrestrial networks with satellites. We draw technology and product roadmaps; we support and foster the development of integrated satellite terrestrial systems and value-added services.”
What this collaboration will enable and what it will target
This MoI and the attached collaboration will enable the faster convergence and development of terrestrial and non-terrestrial network and service technologies in the innovative field of Space ICT, i.e., three-dimensional networking.
The MoI will focus on technology pathfinders and solutions to develop and validate research & development projects initiated by ESA and CELTIC-NEXT. In addition, the MoI includes the organisation of joint events as well as the dissemination of relevant information to terrestrial, non-terrestrial, and combined operators and vertical market stakeholders.
More specifically, the MoI will encourage terrestrial ICT and Space ICT industry collaboration with other industry verticals to facilitate the adoption of advanced Space ICT technologies in the business models and processes of all industry sectors. The focus of the cooperation is to consider the issues in a holistic way by considering the end-to-end perspective of new communications services enabled by 5G and 6G technologies, including an understanding of the economic, environmental, and societal benefits.
How it will be implemented
In a first phase, each organization will run its own funding instruments, with its own processes. This cooperation does not replace their respective funding programmes and instruments, but leverages them for identified synergies in terms of topics of interest or strategic goals for their communities.
Coordination on specific themes will be put in place. These themes, include, but are not limited to:
› Multi-layered Space ICT and Flying Objects Convergence › Design and development of systems, subsystems and technology › Networks and services conformance and interoperability tests › Viable business ecosystem models › Convergence and integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks › Frequency spectrum sharing between satellite networks and other satellite/terrestrial networks › Network timing and synchronisation technologies › Edge cloud computing › Data driven (AI enabled) management › Data curation technologies › Digital twins
To support the achievement of their common objectives, the two organisations intend to:
› Share knowledge, ideas and lessons learned › Create awareness and promote opportunities for collaboration › Utilise and leverage their relevant resources and expertise necessary to ensure the success of the common objectives, in support of the activities initiated in the context of this cooperation › Plan and manage jointly relevant activities in areas of common interest in line with the signatories’ respective legal frameworks › Collaborate on the organisation and execution of activities with a view to reaching the common objectives identified › Regularly attend meetings concerning the effectiveness of the collaboration, with reference to the priorities agreed › Participate in suitable events organized by the other signatory › Undertake joint communication, as appropriate, addressing the cooperation domains
Joint actions will be developed such as:
› Roadmapping › Joint cross-community technology and strategy advisory boards › Exchange on call dates and processes to anticipate best conditions for calls and participants › Knowledge network creation and animation › Joint working groups on specific topics across funded projects › Joint webinars and workshops › Promotion and provision of testbeds and trials platforms (R&D, integration, launch) › Mutual advertisement of calls and bringing communities to jointly apply
The strategic technology calls and actions roadmaps are currently under development. CELTIC-NEXT is happy to receive your input and feedback to enrich its contribution to the joint work.
The new Space-ICT Programme – Targeting the global 3D Internet
Outlook
This MoI is the first of a series of new collaborations for CELTIC-NEXT. This fulfils the objectives set by CELTIC-NEXT’s Core Group to develop CELTIC-NEXT’s support to and impact for the ICT community by enriching its DNA with new verticals and communities. The space community is also eager to collaborate more with the terrestrial ICT community. This collaboration offers the perfect playground for both communities to meet and work together on strategic topics and projects. CELTIC-NEXT welcomes greatly the space community’s contribution to this strategic programme in terms of inputs to the roadmaps, participation to joint events and meetings, and proposals in the coming Space-ICT and 3D-NET focused calls to be announced soon.
