SNS Large Scale Trials and Pilots (LST&Ps) with Verticals
The target 6G systems validation work through large-scale trials focusses on use cases related to “sustainable 6G” and “6G for sustainability” targeting environmental, economic and societal sustainability goals. The projects are expected to cover at least :
- Demonstration of clear benefits with stakeholders of the considered 5G advanced/ 6G technologies and architectures in terms of innovative 6G smart networks and services addressing multiple aspects (e.g. scalability, security, and performance improvements) in line with medium to long-term diverse socio-economic scenarios.
- Special focus on targeting and achieving, by the end of the project, tangible results for environmental (e.g. optimize energy consumption, minimize CO2 emissions, etc.), societal (e.g. inclusiveness, EMF exposure, trustworthiness, privacy, technology acceptance, etc.) and economic aspects (e.g. viability for vendors, network operators and vertical service providers benefits for local economies, potential new business entrants, affordability, etc).
The Large-Scale Pilots should be carried out from an end-to-end perspective, with representative technologies covering the full value chain, including devices, connectivity, and service delivery. They should demonstrate the integration of different IoT/cloud/edge/computing environments (public and/or private) towards a distributed environment and dynamic resource needs with a landscape unified management able to support the emergence of a European offer and capability.
The involvement of SMEs/scaleups/ startups is targeted in the projects. These actors are expected to play a key role in this process with new market-driven applications that can build value on the 5G/6G infrastructure. This support will be a critical enabler of European-led innovation, fast track adoption, and stimulation of private sector investment, across verticals.
The performance and sustainability capabilities are to be assessed against a set of well-defined KVIs and KPIs. The developing set of KPIs in the international context will be taken as a basis, also those of previous projects, notably for KVIs, and potentially further extend them. Proposals should clearly indicate the target set of KPIs and KVIs and how this breaks the state of the art. Performance improvement and sustainability aspects in all domains requires definition of a benchmark against which improvements may be evaluated. Cross project collaboration is needed to define such a benchmark that will be part of the target outcome KPI repository of the SNS Partnership. It is expected that software entities implement the target services in Open-Source Code and with open interfaces for further reutilisation in subsequent phases. Outputs of the work is expected to demonstrate the applicability of 6G KPI/KVI to specific use case requirements, i.e. to map those with higher level requirements at application level.
SNS LST&Ps are expected to attract the participation of vertical industries in view of stimulating a strong European participation in future downstream standardisation phases. Therefore, participation of industrial actors with demonstrated strong standardisation impact is desired.
The Stream D projects should aim to take advantage from developed platforms and/or elements from the SNS Phase 1 Stream C projects, platforms developed in the context of national initiatives or any other solutions that integrate and offer preliminary 6G network solutions. Moreover, Stream D projects need to plan for a strong collaboration link to the HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024-STREAM-B-01-07: Sustainability Lighthouse.