From the south of the region, the future of global telecommunications is being coordinated. The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) leads PAISES-6G, a European research project developing future 6G mobile technology. The goal is for networks to autonomously detect cyber threats using Artificial Intelligence, ensuring user privacy and anonymity at all times.
The program's core innovation lies in ISAC (Integrated Sensing and Communications) technologies, systems that integrate communications with sensing capabilities. According to Pablo Serrano, a professor of Telematic Engineering at UC3M and consortium coordinator, 6G antennas will not only transmit data but will also be able to 'see' the environment. This will enable applications such as medical monitoring of a patient at home without the need for body sensors. The fundamental technical challenge is to secure this information to prevent networks from becoming espionage tools.
With a perspective of a digital free market and European technological sovereignty, the project is structured around three innovation axes. The first implements massive language models, similar to ChatGPT technology, to proactively anticipate cyberattacks in real-time. The second addresses quantum security through post-quantum cryptography, anticipating the moment when quantum computers can break current encryption systems. The third applies federated learning techniques for operators and companies to securely share massive data.
The international PAISES-6G consortium has received 8 million euros in funding from the European Union through the Horizon Europe program. The team integrates 18 strategic organizations from 9 countries, including industry giants like Telefónica Innovación Digital, Telecom Italia, and NEC Laboratories Europe, as well as top-tier research centers such as the Basque technology center Ikerlan and the IMDEA Networks Foundation of the Community of Madrid.
Researchers plan to begin the validation phase of the first prototypes in real laboratory environments during the project's second year. Critical tests will be preferentially conducted in the NEXTONIC laboratory on the UC3M campus in Leganés, as well as in the Gotham laboratory in the Basque Country. The ultimate goal is to transfer the differential privacy algorithms directly to international standardization bodies (3GPP and ETSI) so that the security model designed in Madrid becomes the definitive global standard for mobile telephony.
