Best Paper Honourable Mention was also attributed to a SUSTAIN-6G Paper entitled “Photonic Continuity: Sustainable Wired and Wireless Photonics from kilobits per second (kbps) to Petabits per second (Pbps)” authored by Olivier Bouchet (Orange Labs), Yanes Yahoui (Orange Labs), Guillaume Vercasson (b-com), Vincent de la Broise (b-com), Irene Kolokytha (WINGS ICT), and Sokratis Barmpounakis (WINGS ICT).

The SUSTAIN-6G International Workshop on Sustainable and Sustainability-Enabling 6G, part of the IEEE ICC 2026 and scheduled for 24–28 May, will explore how future 6G networks can both enable sustainability across sectors and be developed as a sustainable technology themselves. The workshop will promote a holistic perspective that considers environmental, social, and economic dimensions, encouraging research and innovation that integrate sustainability from the earliest design stages and throughout the entire life cycle of 6G systems. It will welcome contributions on topics such as carbon reduction, digital inclusion, responsible AI, sustainable network architectures, and applications in areas like smart agriculture, energy systems, healthcare, and mobility, to foster interdisciplinary discussion and practical strategies for sustainable next-generation communications.

The SUSTAIN-6G project is set for a high-impact presence in Malaga, Spain, this year. We are proud to announce our project will contribute to the programme through:

• 1) A special session fully organised by SUSTAIN-6G, “From Principles to Practice: Embedding Sustainability in 6G Standardisation” (Special Session 6),

• 2) Impactful workshop on “Sustainability in 6G: E2E integration and assessment", covering a full analysis of the assets and services life cycle, effects in the ecosystem, and requirements of the involved stakeholders.

• 3) Dedicated workshop developed in collaboration with the SNS Sustainability Working Group, “Sustainable by Design, Sustainable in Operation: The 6G Perspective” (Workshop 11).

• 4) In addition, 3 papers from project partners have been accepted, further showcasing ongoing research and results.

Beyond these contributions, the project is expanding its footprint with a dedicated exhibition booth submission. Attendees can experience live demos showcasing our latest milestones. Aligning with this year’s theme, "6G, Connecting Intelligence," SUSTAIN-6G will demonstrate how environmental responsibility and cutting-edge intelligence must evolve together to power the next generation of connectivity.

SUSTAIN-6G is the EU’s leading Smart Networks and Services (SNS) Lighthouse project that focuses on Sustainability in the 6th Generation (6G) mobile networks. SUSTAIN-6G’s position is that sustainability must be a guiding principle in the design, deployment and operation of 6G technologies and not added as an afterthought.

The project works on providing a framework for embedding sustainability into 6G ecosystems, by establishing key design principles that go beyond solutions targeting technical performance. These 6G design principles integrate two aspects of sustainability: Sustainable 6G technology i.e., ensuring that the technology itself is sustainable, and 6G for Sustainability i.e., ensuring that the technology applications can help other industries become more sustainable.

On 16th Feb the 3rd  External Advisory Group (EAG) meeting of the SUSTAIN-6G project took place in hybrdid mode. It brought together experts from industry, academia, and research organisations to learn and  exchange perspectives, and provide strategic guidance on advancing sustainability in SUSTAIN-6G. The meeting aimed to gather expert feedback on key project results and strengthen alignment with emerging technological, regulatory, and societal developments shaping the evolution of sustainable digital Technology. [...] The meeting concluded with a discussion on the next steps for the project and future engagement with the External Advisory Group. The next EAG meeting is planned to take place online in November 2026, continuing the dialogue on advancing sustainable and responsible 6G development.

SUSTAIN-6G Video Demo about Fiber Wireless – Software as a Service (FiWi – SaaS)

Fiber Wireless Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provide services to enable various capabilities for FiWi space configurations and 3D real time visualization. In the context of Fiber Wireless systems, a visualization aids all the types of end users to realize functional FiWi systems. The core idea of SaaS is divided into two main components, the FiWi configuration and digital twin as a Service.

SUSTAIN-6G had a strong presence at Enlit Europe 2025, held from 10–12 November, a leading event on Europe’s energy transition. The project was represented by Imane Oussakel, Ph.D., Telecom Research Engineer at EDF, who shared the latest insights and progress in the Digital Technologies in European Projects session.

Imane presented “Insights from SUSTAIN-6G for utilities”, highlighting the project’s vision, technical achievements, and key use cases. A particular focus was on the “Resilient Grid Section Operation” led by Siemens, demonstrating strategies to maintain grid reliability even under communication challenges.

In addition, SUSTAIN-6G was showcased at the EDF R&D stand, providing an interactive platform to engage with visitors, explain project objectives, and emphasise the collaborative European effort driving innovation in smart and resilient energy systems.