EU-Wide Advantages and Opportunities for the Call "Higher Speed Optical Access Networks and future end-to-end Packet Optical Network Architecture in 6G"

Overview

This Research & Innovation Action (RIA) under the Smart Networks & Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) is purpose-built for large, trans-European collaborations. Leveraging EU-level instruments multiplies the scientific, industrial and societal impact well beyond what any single Member State could achieve.

1. Single Market Access – 450 + Million End-Users

• Deploying energy-efficient 50 Gb/s-to-Tb/s optical access and xHaul technologies across the EU’s single market creates an addressable customer base unmatched worldwide.

• Common technical specifications driven by ETSI/EN standards ease mass-deployment in all 27 Member States plus EEA & Associated Countries, accelerating time-to-market and return on R&D investment.

• Vertical sectors (manufacturing, health, media, automotive) gain a pan-European footprint for ultra-low-latency 6G services.

2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange

• The call mandates multinational consortia, fostering cross-fertilisation between Europe’s photonics clusters (e.g. Eindhoven, Berlin-Adlershof) and wireless strongholds (e.g. Oulu, Leuven).

• Joint labs and federated testbeds (5G/6G SNS platforms, KDT pilot lines) enable reproducible experimentation under harmonised conditions—reducing duplication and accelerating TRL progression.

• Complementary expertise: Photonics21 supplies next-gen components; Chips JU offers pilot semiconductor lines; SNS projects supply networking stacks—creating an integrated EU value chain.

3. Alignment with Core EU Policies

• European Green Deal: AI-enhanced, ultralow-power optical links support the 2030 climate target (-55 % GHG) and the ‘Energy Efficiency First’ principle.

• Digital Decade 2030: Contributes directly to the gigabit-for-all and 5G/6G coverage objectives.

• EU Chips Act & Strategic Autonomy: Optical subsystems sourced from EU fabs reduce dependency on non-EU suppliers, in line with Article 22(5) eligibility safeguards.

• Open Strategic Autonomy: Quantum-secure optical networking strengthens EU cybersecurity and resilience ambitions (NIS 2 Directive, Cyber-Resilience Act).

4. Regulatory Harmonisation & Trustworthiness

• EU telecoms framework (EECC, BEREC guidelines) offers a single ruleset for spectrum, security and market access—simplifying deployment versus fragmented national licensing.

• Harmonised security certification (EU 5G Toolbox, upcoming 6G extensions) bolsters market acceptance and compliance, a key evaluation criterion (“enhanced trustworthiness”).

5. Access to Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem

• Direct channels to 3 000 + universities and RTOs (COST, Horizon Europe, EIT Digital) for talent pipelines and joint PhDs.

• Use of EuroHPC petascale systems for AI/ML training on shared optical-network datasets (open-science mandate in SNS).

• Integration with EU test infrastructures: 5GTNF (FI), ICT-17 5G facilities, pan-European Quantum Communication Infrastructure (QCI) pilots.

6. Funding Synergies & Leverage Effects

• Combine SNS JU funding with:

• Digital Europe Programme (DEP) for large-scale deployment pilots.

• Connecting Europe Facility – Digital (CEF-Digital) for cross-border backbone links.

• European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) & Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) for regional roll-outs.

• EIB/InvestEU for scale-up loans once TRL 7-8 is achieved.

• Synergies increase the effective budget and de-risk commercialisation, fulfilling the Impact award criterion.

7. Pan-European Scale & Global Standardisation Impact

• EU-wide demonstrators facilitate contributions to ETSI, ITU-T SG 15, IEEE 802.3 and 3GPP SA 6, ensuring Europe’s technical leadership in 6G optical networking.

• Large-scale pilots across diverse geographies (urban, rural, maritime, NTN) validate performance under real-world conditions and create reference blueprints for global markets.

8. Strategic Industrial & Societal Value

• Strengthens Europe’s photonic-electronics-wireless supply chain, anchoring high-value manufacturing jobs.

• Enables ubiquitous, low-carbon connectivity—supporting digital inclusion, e-health, smart grids and Industry 5.0.

• SME participation is rewarded in the ranking procedure, offering growth paths for deep-tech start-ups and scale-ups.

Actionable Recommendations for Applicants

• Build a geographically balanced consortium (≥ 3 MS/AC) incorporating at least 20 % SME budget share to gain tie-break points.

• Map project KPIs directly to Digital Decade, Green Deal and Open Strategic Autonomy indicators.

• Plan a staged roadmap: TRL 3-4 research → TRL 5-6 integration on SNS platforms → TRL 7 demo leveraging CEF-Digital corridors.

• Engage early with ETSI ISG F5G/6G and Photonics21 working groups to ensure results feed into standards and future PPP topics.

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By exploiting the full breadth of EU integration—single market, unified regulation, policy coherence and a dense innovation web—this grant offers unparalleled leverage to turn cutting-edge optical-6G research into continent-wide industrial leadership and societal benefit.