CENTRIC project held its 7th plenary meeting hosted by NOKIA in Munich, Germany

CENTRIC’s 7th Plenary Meeting: Reflecting on Progress and Charting the Path Ahead

From November 13-15, 2024, the CENTRIC project team convened in Munich for its 7th plenary meeting. Hosted by Nokia, this in-person gathering marked a significant milestone, offering a platform to assess progress since the project’s launch in January 2023 and plan for an ambitious final year.

Key Highlights of the Meeting

Over three days, discussions centred on critical updates and collaborative planning:

• Progress Review: Each Work Package leader presented updates on achievements and deliverables, providing a comprehensive view of the project’s advancements.
• Deep Dives into Working Groups: Partners reflected on the progress of Working Groups, highlighting challenges and milestones over the past two years.
• Collaborative Opportunities: Interactive sessions facilitated knowledge-sharing and teamwork, creating opportunities for deeper engagement between partners.
• Future Planning: The team brainstormed dissemination strategies, including upcoming webinars designed to share insights and engage stakeholders.

Engagement in SNS JU and 6G-IA Working Groups

A major focus of the plenary was CENTRIC’s active role in the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) and the 6G-IA Working Groups. The project contributes to essential topics shaping the future of 6G:

• 6G Architecture
• Reliable Software Networks
• Test, Measurement, and KPIs Validation (TMW)
• AI/ML for 6G

Pioneering a User-Centric Approach to 6G

CENTRIC advocates a transformative approach to 6G communications, where application requirements drive the design of the underlying protocol stack. This innovative methodology addresses current limitations, where telecom vendors cannot tailor protocol stacks to every application and scenario. For the first time, reliable technologies are emerging that can realize user-centric communications, paving the way for breakthroughs in network design.

Looking Ahead

As CENTRIC enters its third and final year, the project remains committed to a sustainable AI-native Air-Interface for 6G networks, aiming to revolutionize wireless communication through user-centric design, with a top-down, modular approach that starts with users’ objectives and application-specific requirements.

In CENTRIC, we advocate for an approach to 6G communications whereby the application’s requirements define the starting point for the design of the underlying protocol stack. As the example above illustrates, this is not yet possible today, as vendors of telecom equipment simply cannot produce a new stack for each new application and scenario. However, for the first time, there are strong indications that there is a reliable technology that can make user-centric communications happen!