B5G-OPEN targets the design, prototyping and demonstration of a novel end-to-end integrated packet-optical transport architecture based on MultiBand (MB) optical transmission and switching networks. MB expands the available capacity of optical fibres, by enabling transmission within S, E, and O bands, in addition to commercial C and/or C+L bands, which translates into a potential 10x capacity increase and low-latency for services beyond 5G. To realize multiband networks, technology advances are required, both in data, control and management planes. Concerning devices, these include new amplifiers, filterless subsystems, add/drop multiplexers, etc. Such technology advances complement novel packet-optical white boxes using flexible sliceable Bandwidth Variable Transceivers and novel pluggable optics. The availability of MB transmission will also lead to a complete redesign of the end-to-end architecture, removing boundaries between network domains and reducing electronic intermediate terminations. The control plane will be extended to support multiband elements and a ‘domain-less’ network architecture. It will rely on physical layer abstraction, new impairment modelling, and pervasive telemetry data collection to feed AI/ML algorithms that will lead to a Zero-Touch networking paradigm including a full featured node operating system for packet-optical whiteboxes. The results will be shown in two final demonstrations exposing the project benefits from operator and user perspectives. B5G-OPEN will have a clear impact on the society showing the evolution towards a world with increased needs of connectivity and higher capacity in support of new B5G services and new traffic patterns. The consortium includes partners from 8 countries: three major telecom operators, three vendors, four SMEs and four research centres and academia, combining several years of experience and a successful record in past European projects on related technologies, thus guaranteeing its success.

FLECON-6G gathers key participants from Phase-1 and Phase-2 SNS JU projects, aiming to make the “Intelligent 6G Network of Networks” vision a reality, with Trustworthiness and Generalisability of Native AI and Network Digital Twins (NDT) assisted approaches. It aims to deliver key technological assets in the form of collaborative and distributed frameworks offering scalability and support for multi-domain, multi-stakeholder infrastructures, jointly with network infrastructure programmability that supports the offloading of network application logic. FLECON-6G provides groundbreaking research to drive the next phase of 6G Native AI research, addressing Trustworthiness and Generalizability via novel intent-driven frameworks and robust Foundation Models, that not only deliver zero-touch orchestration but also performance guarantees and robustness in multi-stakeholder infrastructures. A multi-layer, multi-vendor NDT framework will also assist online decisions and resolve conflicts among multiple closed control loops operating in reactive, proactive or predictive mode for zero-touch self-optimisation. At the business layer, a Smart Marketplace will facilitate the creation of a wide, sustainable ecosystem of highly diversified stakeholders, through which, MNOs, digital service providers, verticals and software developers of AI or DT software applications will jointly collaborate to build more integrated and intent-driven service offers, composing a plethora of modular assets for their effective monetisation. In line with EU’s policies, FLECON-6G will design, develop and validate through relevant PoCs, several secure, trustworthy, resilient and reliable solutions across 4 heterogeneous verticals that require 6G performance capabilities. FLECON-6G will strongly impact standardisation, with significant contributions to 3GPP, ITU, ETSI, GSMA and O-RAN and open-source communities.

ALLEGRO aims at designing and validating a novel end-to-end sliceable, reliable, and secure architecture for next-generation optical networks, achieving high transmission/switching capacity -- with 10 Tb/s for optoelectronic devices and 1 Pbt/s for optical fiber systems --; low power consumption/cost -- with > 25% savings -- and secure infrastructures and data transfers. The architecture relies on key enabling innovations: i) smart, coherent transceivers exploiting multi-band & multi-fiber technologies for P2P and P2MP applications, based on e.g., high-speed plasmonic modulators/photodetectors and programmable silicon photonic integrated waveguide meshes; ii) loss-less, energy-efficient transparent photonic integrated optical switches, eliminating OEO conversions, e.g., with on-chip amplification in the O-band for datacom applications; iii) a consistent approach to security, in terms of functional/protocol architectures and communications, further improving QKD systems, enabling optical channel co-existence and researching on quantum-resistant (post-quantum) cryptography, developing systems based on physically unclonable functions; and iv) a scalable AI/ML assisted control and orchestration system, responsible for autonomous networking, dynamic and constrained service provisioning, function placement and resource allocation, leveraging devices increasing programmability and overall network softwarization. To achieve the target objectives and KPIs, ALLEGRO has defined a clear methodology ending in ambitious demonstrators. The consortium includes a good balance of industry and research/academia with know-how in complementary fields. The results of ALLEGRO will be disseminated in leading conferences, events, and high-impact journals. They will have a concrete and measurable economic and social impact, contributing towards achieving key European objectives, reinforcing European leadership and digital sovereignty in the ongoing digital and green transition.