With currently 3 billion people lacking access to broadband internet worldwide, European operators are struggling to fill the white areas with insufficient or nonexistent connectivity. In light of the early promises of 6G wireless networks, it is tempting to consider non-terrestrial networks as complementary to the ground-based radio and fiber infrastructure. However, radio frequency-based satellite systems are nearing their capacity limits and cannot be scaled further. Free-space optical technology is a natural alternative to deliver greater capacity and to better address data security needs by leveraging quantum communications. The first optical intersatellite links are being deployed in commercial networks at relatively low data rate (10 Gbps). However, once the most important remaining research challenges are resolved, they could rapidly expand and serve as a catalyst for the development of a new communication backbone in the sky, consisting of aerial and space optical nodes at different altitudes. The overarching aim of the FOCAL project is to train a new generation of highly qualified doctoral candidates in developing innovative aerial and space optical wireless technologies that will provide future telecommunication networks with ubiquitous connectivity, resilience, and quantum-proof security. In addition to contributing to the fundamental understanding and technical know-how of such networks through co-supervised individual research projects, FOCAL will train talented and innovative researchers with multidisciplinary expertise and skills that are desirable in this European industrial sector. This will be achieved through a combination of theoretical and hands-on research training provided by a unique consortium of 16 academic and 10 industrial partners from 8 countries, resulting in collaborative research including co-supervision and secondments, as well as transferable training skills, which is necessary for prosperous careers in this prominent R&I area.

ONE5G commits to provide technical investigations and recommendations to evolve ‘5G’ towards ‘5G advanced’ as requested by the work program. Release 15 from 3GPP is about to set up a valuable initial specification for paving the way to reach the ultimate goals for 5G. However, we see major aspects not yet reasonably covered, requiring more research activities to happen: - Means ensuring 5G to be consistently rolled-out not only in agglomerations, but also in less densely populated areas, to avoid the digital divide to occur as in earlier generations. - Means ensuring 5G to support all foreseen services efficiently and concurrently in a generic way, to avoid the emergence of a set of specialised solutions lacking synergy effects such as economy of scale and multiplexing gains. - Means ensuring 5G to efficiently handle all degrees of heterogeneity stemming from the multiplicity of services and environments, network nodes and devices, spectrum bands and access types (licensed, unlicensed and lightly licensed). In ONE5G, 14 experienced European players of wireless research are gathering to jointly drive forward the vision of 5G by - delivering advanced link enhancements beyond Release 15, including efficient multi-service access schemes, advanced massive MIMO enablers and link management mechanisms - researching and proposing highly generic performance optimization schemes for 5G, to achieve successful deployment and operation, including optimizations for both the network operator and the E2E user-experienced performance - identifying the cost driving elements for the roll-out and operation and to propose adaptations to allow sustainable provision of wireless services everywhere - validating the developed extensions and modifications through different approaches: analytically, by means of extensive simulations and with selected proof-of-concepts - producing a high number of valuable publications, IPR and standardization contributions

5G will have to cope with a high degree of heterogeneity in terms of: (a) services (mobile broadband, massive machine and mission critical communications, broad-/multicast services and vehicular communications); (b) device classes (low-end sensors to high-end tablets); (c) deployment types (macro and small cells); (d) environments (low-density to ultra-dense urban); (e) mobility levels (static to high-speed transport). Consequently, diverse and often contradicting Key Performance Indicators need to be supported, such as high capacity/user-rates, low latency, high reliability, ubiquitous coverage, high mobility, massive number of devices, low cost/energy consumption. 4G is not designed to meet such a high degree of heterogeneity efficiently. Moreover, having multiple radio access technologies for multi-service support below 6GHz will be too costly. FANTASTIC-5G will develop a new multi-service Air Interface (AI) for below 6 GHz through a modular design. To allow the system to adapt to the anticipated heterogeneity, the pursued properties are: flexibility, scalability, versatility, efficiency, future-proofness. To this end, we will develop the technical AI components (e.g. flexible waveform and frame design, scalable multiple access procedures, adaptive retransmission schemes, enhanced multi-antenna schemes with/without cooperation, advanced multi-user detection, interference coordination, support for ultra-dense cell layouts, multi-cell radio resource management, device-to-device) and integrate them into an overall AI framework where adaptation to the above described sources of heterogeneity will be accomplished. Our work will also comprise intense validation and system level simulations. FANTASTIC-5G includes partners being active in forerunning projects like METIS, 5GNOW and EMPATHIC ensuring the exploitation of the respective outcomes. The consortium possesses the main stakeholders for innovation and impacting standardization, maintaining Europe at the forefront.

The 6G-SHINE project will pioneer the main technology components for in-X wireless subnetworks, short range low power radio cells to be installed in a wide set of vertical and consumer entities like robots, vehicle, production modules, classrooms, for the sake of supporting extreme communication requirements in terms of latency, reliability, or data rates. 6G-SHINE will leverage the opportunities offered by the peculiar deployment characteristics of such short range subnetworks, for a highly performant yet cost-efficient radio design that allow to bring wireless connectivity to a lever of pervasiveness which has never been experienced earlier. 6G-SHINE copes with topics "New IoT components and devices" and "New physical layers and associated protocols" of strand B-01-03 in the SNS work programme. Research will span physical layer, medium access control protocols, radio resource management of these in-X subnetworks, as well as connection with a broader 6G 'network of networks'. The performance of the designed solutions will be analyzed via simulations, and -for selected technologies- over demonstrator platforms. The project will result in a broad set of technology solutions that will be disseminated via scientific publications. Also, the designed solutions will be brought to future 6G standardization, and will be used in future telecommunication equipment and networks. The consortium consists of 12 partners that together bring essential expertise to each of the identified technologies with a mixture of academic institutions and industry players with a strong research department, representing the essential parts of the value chain of wireless short range communications.