Málaga, Global Hub for 6G Research
Last week, the city of Málaga brought together some of the world’s leading experts in next-generation mobile networks, artificial intelligence, and advanced connectivity technologies at FYCMA during the EuCNC & 6G Summit, one of the world’s benchmark conferences in 6G research and development.
The EuCNC & 6G Summit once again highlighted the global and collaborative nature of the development of future 6G standards, which are essential to ensuring seamless and universal connectivity worldwide. The event, driven by Europe and supported by the European Commission, has established itself as a strategic platform for advancing the next generation of intelligent networks.
Under the slogan “6G Connecting Intelligence,” this edition, held from June 2 to 5, focused on the increasingly central role of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), both in the operation of future mobile networks and in the applications and services that will be built upon them.
The conference welcomed delegates from more than 40 countries and reinforced Málaga’s position as a global meeting point for researchers, universities, technology companies, European institutions, and leaders in the telecommunications industry.
The University of Málaga played a key role in organizing the congress through researchers and professors from the Institute of Software Technology and Engineering (ITIS), which led the local organization of the event under the direction of Professor Pedro Merino. The organizing team also included Almudena Díaz, Mónica Pinto, Laura Panizo, Ismael Navas, Román Rodrigo, Francisco Javier Rivas, and Delia Rico, together with other researchers and technical staff such as Beatriz Lobillo, Francisco Luque-Schempp, and Pablo Herrera.
In addition, the UMA had a strong presence in the scientific program of the congress. Pedro Merino served as co-chair of the program committee alongside Iván Seskar from Rutgers University and Ari Pouttu from the University of Oulu. Professors Almudena Díaz, Mari Carmen Aguayo, and Anna Bruström were also members of the committee, while Professor Teresa Martín participated in the evaluation of doctoral thesis awards.
The scientific program included a total of 195 research papers distributed across seven thematic areas, with the most prominent focusing on artificial intelligence applied to communications. In addition, the event hosted:
4 specialized tutorials
16 special sessions
16 international workshops
9 sessions promoted by the organizing committee
4 keynote lectures
3 panel discussions
50 poster presentations
The participation of the University of Málaga was also reflected in numerous scientific and technical contributions. Professors such as Almudena Díaz and Sergio Fortes presented work related to the UNICO 6G program, while researchers from ITIS and the Telecommunications Institute (TELMA) participated as authors and co-authors in various publications. Among them were Francisco Luna, Pablo Herrera, Julia Robles, Manuel Díaz, Cristian Martín, and Marta Solera.
The exhibition area featured 60 stands showcasing European projects and technological developments promoted by companies, research centers, and universities from around the world. In this space, the University of Málaga had significant representation through projects such as 6G-SANDBOX, in collaboration with the European Space Agency and Taiwan’s ITRI institute; FIDAL, which included the participation of the Málaga Local Police drone unit; and the 6G-PATH and 6G-VERSUS projects, developed together with IHSM La Mayora.
As a new initiative, ITIS researchers deployed a private 5G network for the first time to support the congress, a pilot initiative with the potential to be expanded in future editions of the EuCNC & 6G Summit. Among the featured demonstrations were technologies such as network-based object and person detection systems, as well as prototype devices that could become future 6G terminals.
The congress also received support from leading institutions and companies in the technology and telecommunications sectors, including Telefónica, Ericsson, Nokia, Orange, Vodafone, Rohde & Schwarz, Keysight Technologies, i2CAT, France 6G, Dekra, and Nearby Computing, among others.
