The 5G Techritory Forum is a premier initiative aimed at uniting key stakeholders in 5G development to cultivate a strong, cohesive 5G ecosystem across Europe and beyond. Held annually in Riga, Latvia, the 2024 edition took place from October 30–31 in a "phygital" format—offering both in-person attendance for speakers and VIP guests in Riga and a live stream to thousands of global viewers. This year’s agenda spotlighted critical topics, including the transition to 6G and sustainability, European sovereignty in the telco industry, the emerging role played by telco-cloud applications and the importance of telecommunications for national security. Notably, representatives from NATO, alongside Ukrainian and Latvian government officials, conducted closed sessions focused on strategic communications during wartime. The SNS Office also contributed, completing the policy-oriented tone for the event.
The SNS ICE project played an active role in this year's edition, participating in three co-creation sessions, respectively on:
Shifting the Balance: Advancing Diversity in Telecoms R&D: At the 5G Techritory, WiTaR, Riga Techgirls, and other advocates discussed inclusive strategies across telecoms, 6G sustainability, cybersecurity, and diversity in the digital economy, aiming to foster an ecosystem valuing digital inclusion, equitable access, and diverse perspectives. Despite progress under Horizon 2020, which raised female representation to 42% in evaluation panels, achieving gender balance remained a challenge in scientific advisory roles and research projects, with women making up only 43% and 23% respectively.
From 5G to 6G: leveraging key trends and 5G evolution to shape 6G for vertical sectors: a co-creation event focused on 6G developments and strategies for industrial adoption, aimed at raising awareness of 6G’s potential among key industry sectors. With 6G advancing rapidly in leading global labs and expected to complement 5G around 2030 with innovations like embedded AI and sensing capabilities, early European-funded projects (such as TrialsNet and IMAGINE B5G) were presented alongside international trials, offering a global perspective on 6G progress. The agenda covered sessions on SNS-JU 6G trials, international pilots, economic aspects, and a panel discussion on challenges, lessons learned, and promising technologies, emphasizing 6G’s role in supporting digitalization, new production paradigms, and business models. Additionally, a tracking tool for 6G research KPIs was introduced, providing insights for sectors ready to lead in 6G adoption. The event concluded with an interactive panel, allowing attendees to gain deeper insights into 6G applications across industrial verticals.
SNS-ICE – Synergies between National 6G Initiatives and SNS JU: co-creation event on synergies between National 6G Initiatives and the SNS JU, where participants explored collaboration opportunities between the SNS work programme and various National 6G efforts across Europe, including initiatives in Germany, France, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The goal was to identify areas where synergies could enhance the impact of 6G research and innovation across Europe. The event included insights from the SNS office on collaborating with National Initiatives, results from the SNS OPS survey, overviews of the SNS JU Work Programme and SRIA perspective, a summary of National Initiative topics, proposals for additional areas of focus, and group discussions on potential gaps and opportunities for stronger alignment.
SNS ICE also had a showroom at the event, showcasing multimedia materials from all SNS JU community, an interactive demo of the Vertical Engagement platform and distributed thematic gadgets.
Our Role
Trust-IT is involved in three flagship CSA initiatives linked to the final stages of 5G development and 6G transition (6GStart) as well as new 6G development horizons (SNS ICE and SNS OPS) aiming to build a collaborative environment for the 6G Smart Networks and Services (SNS) Joint Undertaking, the next public-private partnership spurring the development of 6G. Its role involves analysing the technological KPIs and societal KVIs of SNS projects, monitoring standardisation trends among both the 5GPPP and the SNS JU R&I communities through two Standards Tracker platforms (see Standards Tracker from 5G PPP and from SNS JU), and engaging relevant vertical sectors through two vertical-oriented platforms collecting use cases and translating them into requirements for both 5G PPP and SNS JU research activities (see 5G PPP's Verticals Cartography and SNS JU Vertical Engagement Tracker).
