The 2026 6G Workshop

Abstract

Professor Harald Haas is the Van Eck Professor of Engineering at the University of Cambridge, where he leads the LiFi Research and Development Centre (LRDC). He is the Director of the National UK Future Connectivity Hub on the Network of Networks, TITAN. He co-founded pureLiFi Ltd and is a member of the Board. His research spans photonics, communication theory and signal processing to advance optical wireless communications.

In this talk, Prof. Haas will focus on recent advances in optical wireless communications.

Abstract

Today's wireless services and systems have come a long way since the rollout of the conventional voice-centric cellular systems.  The demand for wireless access in voice and multi-media applications has increased tremendously. In addition to these, new application classes like extreme mobile broadband communication, ultra reliable and low latency communications, massive machine type communications, and Internet of Things have gained significant interest recently for 5G. The trend on the variety and the number of mobile devices along with the mobile applications will certainly continue beyond 5G, creating a wide range of technical challenges such as cost, power efficiency, spectrum efficiency, extreme reliability, low latency, robustness against diverse channel conditions, cooperative networking capability and coexistence, dynamic and flexible utilization of wireless spectrum.

With the rapid evolution of wireless networks across a broad technological environment which includes virtualization, IoT and Industry 4.0, our lives are surrounded by electronic devices capable of wireless radio transmission and reception, not only for communication purposes but also for radar, wireless sensing, and radio environment monitoring and mapping. Emerging Internet of Things (IoT) and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) applications aim to bring people, data, processes, and things together to fulfil our needs. With the emergence of software defined networks, adaptive services and applications are gaining more attention since they allow the automatic configuration of devices and their parameters, systems, and services to the user's context change. Granted, these devices, networks, and applications are huge commodities and improve our quality of life but they also present a major risk, not only because of the widely recognized security leaks in current wireless radio access technologies but also because of the enormous amounts of information over a medium which can be extracted by radio-based sensing.

More than anything, 6G and beyond has introduced a new vision and sets of challenges for wireless researchers in many layers of the protocol stacks, especially in the Physical and Medium Access Layers. In order to address these technical challenges, highly flexible and adaptive radio access technologies are needed.  Hence, 6G and beyond is about flexibility and applications. 6G and beyond is expected to bring about a communication system (with a single standard) through very flexible and cognitive design to support wide variety of services. As a result, the wireless radio researchers are facing a new challenge, which is the design of a flexible communication system in every layer of the communication protocol stacks. In this talk, the flexibility and adaptability of 6G and beyond systems will be discussed with a major focus on PHY and MAC layers. The potential directions and research opportunities to address the challenges and requirements of the 6G and beyond vision will be discussed.

Abstract

Secure communication in constrained environments presents unique technical and operational challenges, where limited infrastructure, harsh conditions, and strict safety requirements demand highly resilient solutions. This presentation explores real-world implementations of Rinicom’s software defined radio, focusing on deployments within the London Underground and the Hollman Mine. Through these case studies, we examine how robust, low-latency, and secure communication systems were designed and delivered in environments characterized by restricted space, signal attenuation, multi-path propagation and high-risk operational conditions.

The talk highlights key design principles, including system redundancy, electromagnetic compatibility, cybersecurity integration, and compliance with safety-critical standards. It also discusses practical lessons learned during installation, commissioning, and long-term operation. The presentation provides insights into adapting communication technologies to diverse constraints while maintaining reliability and security. These examples aim to inform best practices for future deployments in similarly challenging environments.

Abstract

A physical neural network is a type of artificial neural network in which an electrically adjustable material is used to emulate the function of a neural neuron model. The term "physical" neural network is used to emphasize the reliance on physical hardware utilized to emulate neurons as opposed to software-based approaches. In this talk, we discuss the role of physical neural networks in the context of wave-domain information processing for wireless communications. We will focus our attention on implementations based on reconfigurable metasurfaces, by considering the case of the recently proposed stacked intelligent metasurface technology.

Abstract

HASC brings together leading universities and institutions to advance technologies for the future physical layer, where resilience, low energy consumption and capacity are key requirements. HASC researchers work across optical, RF and THz domains, and this talk will present an overview of the programme and showcase a range of innovations and research from it.

Abstract

Francesco Paolucci is Head of Research at CNIT, Pisa Italy, and his main research interests are in the field of network control plane, orchestration for edge/cloud platforms, traffic engineering, network disaggregation, advanced network telemetry, SDN/P4 data plane programmability.

In this talk, Dr Paolucci will focus on data plane programmability acceleration in the 6G edge for UAV, smart city and embedded security.

Abstract

Triggered by the emergence of orthogonal time-frequency space (OTFS) modulation, delay-Doppler (DD) domain waveform design has stirred a great deal of interest in both industry and academia. By utilizing the DD grid instead of the conventional time-frequency grid, doubly-selective wireless channels can be transformed from a source of impairment into an opportunity to exploit full diversity gains. Moreover, the channel representation in DD domain naturally exposes key parameters relevant for sensing applications, i.e., an important feature of the sixth-generation wireless networks (6G).

Despite these advantages, a complete transition to DD-domain waveform designs is not practically feasible. This is because 5G NR based waveforms, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), remain as the core modulation schemes for 6G. Therefore, this talk will demonstrate how DD-domain processing can be integrated with existing 5G NR waveforms and reference signals, enabling significant performance gains in high-mobility scenarios without requiring a new waveform.

Abstract

Network operators are largely positioned as connectivity providers in 5G deployments, limiting their ability to capture value beyond transport services. 6G is well positioned to shift operators from a communication-centric to a service-centric role, offering cloud-like experiences on top of the network infrastructure. However, to achieve this shift, there are a few foundational challenges that need to be addressed. This talk discusses recent developments of the HORIZON ELASTIC and NATWORK projects in enabling network operators evolve into service providers.

• How to securely execute third party workloads in-network?
• How to provide multi-tenant self-service orchestration?
• How to provide an in-network PaaS offering across heterogeneous network infrastructure?