Objectives

The scope of SUSTAIN-6G is to identify the cross-points between the following research questions:

  1. What sustainability needs are – understand what sustainability means for stakeholders and which challenges 6G and verticals need to consider?
  2. How can sustainability be qualitatively and quantitatively defined and assessed?
  3. What solutions should 6G provide to make vertical applications sustainable, addressing the challenges?
  4. Which technical enablers make 6G sustainable, and how do they have to be designed to address the challenges?
  5. How can sustainability be implemented in 6G systems?
  6. How can society and the economy be impacted to benefit from responsible innovation, in particular through standards and regulation?

 


This project scope leads to the following objectives of SUSTAIN-6G, towards a holistic perspective of sustainability in the context of 6G systems:

Starting point: Understand the 6G technology landscape addressing sustainability
Build a comprehensive SotA inventory of 6G and relevant vertical UCs’ approaches, concepts, technologies, components

Describe their relevant KPIs and sustainability indicators:

  1. Identify and understand sustainability needs and values, by reviewing, consolidating and defining sustainability goals, values, indicators based on stakeholder requirements
  2. Define methodologies for sustainability definition and assessment, by reviewing and enhancing concepts, processes, methodologies, and tools for holistically defining and assessing sustainability
  3. Enhance 6G technologies to improve 1st order effects on sustainability, by developing and delivering solutions and enhancements for selected 6G technologies and components towards sustainability improvements
  4. Enhance integration of vertical use cases with 6G and enabling technologies to jointly improve 1st and 2nd order effects on sustainability, by analysing, developing and delivering vertical use cases integrating 6G technologies that improve sustainability values, and providing E2E integrated sustainability-driven operation solutions
  5. Validate, evaluate, and demonstrate sustainability value by validating their (positive / negative) effects on sustainability, and evaluating and demonstrating methodologies, concepts, and solutions on applicability and implementability
  6. Create impact from the project work beyond the research community by providing guidelines and best practice recommendations towards a sustainable 6G design, deployment and operation, new business model proposals, and strategic (standardisation and regulation) roadmap