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Call for papers International workshop on Sustainable and Sustainability-Enabling 6G

May 24, 2026 - May 28, 2026

In conjunction with IEEE ICC 2026, 24-28 May 2026, Glasgow, Scotland, UK


Sustainability is one of the most urgent contemporary challenges. The actions towards this global objective orbit around three pillars: environmental, social, and economic sustainability. These require a holistic approach able to assess, jointly, positive and negative impacts of every decision. Wireless technology innovation is not dispensed from these challenges. In fact, 6G should be both a potential enabler of sustainability in other sectors (6G for Sustainable Applications), and a sustainable technology itself (Sustainable 6G). To achieve this objective, sustainability must be integrated from the very beginning of the design phase and across the full life cycle of products and services pertaining to 6G.

This workshop advocates for a broad approach to sustainability that goes beyond energy efficiency, considering other aspects related to environmental sustainability, and addresses the other two sustainability pillars, namely social and economic sustainability. The scope of the workshop encompasses both foundational research and applied innovations across diverse verticals such as smart agriculture, energy systems, healthcare, mobility, logistics, and many others. It invites contributions that demonstrate how 6G can be leveraged to reduce environmental footprint (i.e., negative first order effects), enhance digital inclusion, and foster resilient infrastructures, but also show innovations that can make 6G a sustainable technology by design. Special emphasis will be placed on interdisciplinary collaborations that integrate technological advancements with ethical, regulatory, and socio-economic aspects. As next-generation networks evolve, it is imperative to embed sustainability at the core of their design, deployment, and application. This workshop will serve as a platform to discuss innovative approaches, share best practices, and co-create actionable strategies that align with broader visions of sustainability, across the three pillars and from different world region perspectives.

Topics of interest


  • Sustainability pillars and their integration into 6G
    • Environmental sustainability
    • Carbon emissions reduction strategies in 6G deployment
    • Sustainable ICT metrics and indicators for 6G networks
    • Climate-resilient network design
    • Environmental impact of computing
  • Social sustainability
    • Digital inclusion and accessibility in 6G
    • Ethical AI and data governance in 6G systems
    • Human-centric design, social value creation and acceptability
    • Privacy, security, trust, and transparency
  • Economic sustainability
    • Business models for sustainable 6G innovation
    • Cost-benefit analysis of 6G technologies
  • 6G technologies & sustainability alignment
    • Sustainable architecture and design principles for 6G networks
    • Life cycle assessment and circular economy models for 6G infrastructure
    • Sustainability indicators, metrics, evaluation
    • Strategic roadmaps and policies
    • Responsible AI in communications
    • Sustainable computing: design and usage
  • Application use cases with sustainability impact
    • Smart agriculture powered by 6G: precision farming, water management
    • Sustainable energy systems: smart grids, and 6G-enabled renewables
    • e-Health and telemedicine: reducing first-order effects of healthcare through 6G
    • Mobility and transport: 6G for low-emission logistics and autonomous systems
    • Interconnection between 6G and verticals

Important Dates


  • Papers submission deadline: 18 January 2026
  • Paper Acceptance Notification: 8 March 2026
  • Camera Ready: 15 March 2026

Instructions for paper submission


  • TBD

Workshop Chairs


  • Albert Banchs, University Carlos III of Madrid
  • Liesbet Van Der Perre, KU Leuven
  • Mattia Merluzzi, CEA-Leti
  • Ali Balador, Ericsson Research
  • Anastasius Gravas, Eurescom
  • Bahare M. Khorsandi, Nokia Germany
  • Olivier Bouchet, Orange Labs
  • Christoph Schmelz, Nokia Germany

Details

  • Start: May 24, 2026
  • End: May 28, 2026