A 6G industry-academia-research team organized by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) showcased its forward-thinking communication technology R&D capabilities and comprehensive B5G/6G supply chain technologies at the European Conference on Network and Communications and 6G Summit (2024 EuCNC & 6G Summit) in Antwerp, Belgium.
Building on the cooperation agreement signed with 6G-SANDBOX in 2023, ITRI and its partners, including Keysight, IS-Wireless, and the University of Málaga, demonstrated innovative integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) technology. Additionally, in collaboration with Queen's University Belfast (QUB), also a 6G-SANDBOX member, ITRI showcased new reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) technology. This RIS technology utilizes commercial O-RAN base stations capable of detecting human activity in communication networks, with ITRI providing the ISAC and RIS controller technology. Representatives from DG CONNECT and SNS JU office who visited the booths expressed their admiration for the cutting-edge applications and ITRI's contributions to this joint demonstration.
The team also hosted a Taiwan Special Session titled "Propelling EU-Taiwan 6G SNS Collaborations Forward," presenting the latest development in EU 6G technology. Representatives from business, academia, and research institutes exchanged insights on Taiwan's advancements in 6G prototype systems and non-terrestrial networks (NTN) satellite communication applications.
Pang-An Ting, Vice President and General Director of Information and Communications Research Laboratories at ITRI, stated, "To deepen our cooperation with 6G-SANDBOX, this year we proposed using RIS application to enhance mmWave coverage, and the proposal has been accepted through 6G-SANDBOX's second open call. Our Taiwan-developed smart reflective panel solution, using signal reflection technology, is designed to expand base station signal coverage. Set to be deployed in the Plaza de la Constitución in Málaga, this solution is expected to address signal reception issues in narrow lanes, while reducing construction costs and energy consumption for base stations. This RIS deployment is poised to integrate more Taiwanese industry, academia, and research entities into the 6G-SANDBOX experimental network."
Taiwan's participation has attracted significant interest from event organizers and global industry, academia, and research institutions. In addition to current collaboration project partners, several other entities engaged in in-depth discussions, including VTT from Finland, Fraunhofer IPT from Germany, the University of Cambridge and the University of Bristol from the United Kingdom, as well as Ghent University and Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (iMEC) from Belgium. During the event, ITRI also announced the 2024 EU-Taiwan 6G SNS Joint Workshop, to be held in Taipei, Taiwan, in October, receiving positive feedback from the representatives of DG CONNECT, 6G-IA, and several EU partners.
6G-SANDBOX is a 6G research testbed project under the EU's Horizon Europe, the EU's key funding program for research and innovation. As the world's first open 6G network experimentation initiative, the 6G-SANDBOX project brings a complete and modular facility for the European experimentation ecosystem, which is expected to support technology and research validation processes essential for the transition to 6G over the next decade.
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