The annual days of the PEPR Networks of the Future took place in Bordeaux from June 2 to 4, 2025, at Enseirb-MATMECA. This event brought together the academic community around the scientific and technological advancements shaping the communication networks of tomorrow, with a day open to the industrial community.

A three-day program,

• Monday, June 2nd : a day of collaborative work, dedicated to the researchers involved in each targeted PEPR project. Everyone was able to present their specific areas, in a setting conducive to exchanges with the other researchers involved in the project.
• Tuesday, June 3rd : An open day with the organization of 4 thematic workshops, bringing together researchers, experts, and industry professionals to discuss four key scientific challenges.
• Wednesday, June 4st : a final highlight dedicated to a synthesis of the scientific activities of all the projects, the activity report of the PEPR, and strategic perspectives. These presentations allowed for the identification of synergies between projects and reinforced the structuring of the community.

Focus on workshops of Tuesday, 3rd

Workshop 1 – Radio technologies for 6G: from components to systems

6G Low Layers: Bridging Components and System Design

Organisators:

• Guillaume Ducournau – Université Lille/IEMN – SYSTERA Project leader
• Jean-Baptiste Doré – CEA-Leti – YACARI Project leader
• Valérian Mannoni – CEA-Leti – PERSEUS Project leader

This workshop explored innovations at the forefront of radio technologies for 6G: new frequency bands (FR3, THz), reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), distributed MIMO, communication/detection fusion, advanced RF electronics… By bridging academic and industrial perspectives, the discussions provided a comprehensive overview of the issues concerning the physical layer of networks.

👉 Slides and presentations here

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Workshop 2 – Internet of Things Security: A End-to-End Approach

Securing the IoT Ecosystem: A holistic Approach from Device to Network

Organisators:

• Nicolas Cassiau – CEA-Leti – FITNESS Project leader
• Hervé Debar – IMT – HISEC Project leader

Co-organized by the FITNESS and HISEC projects, this workshop offered an integrated vision of IoT security, from the core networks to the physical devices. The discussions enabled a dialogue between cybersecurity issues and the specific requirements of embedded systems.

👉 Slides and presentations here

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Workshop 3 – Non-Terrestrial Networks: towards global connectivity

Progress and Challenges in Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN)

Organisators:

• Emmanuel Lavinal – Université de Toulouse/IRIT – DONUTS Project leader
• Nicola Accettura – LAAS CNRS

Satellite, HAPS, or drone communications promise global and continuous coverage, being hybridized with terrestrial networks. This workshop addressed the challenges related to these hybrid networks (routing, interoperability, direct connectivity, performance) and highlighted the opportunities offered for IoT and future 5G/6G networks.

👉 Slides and presentations here

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Workshop 4 – Networks of the Future: fundamental limits and new paradigms

Perspectives on the Foundations of Communications for Future Networks

Organisators:

• Jean-Marie Gorce – INRIA – FOUNDS Project leader

The design needs of future networks require a rethinking of the fundamental aspects of communication theory. This workshop focuses in this context on the fundamental physical and informational limits of emerging networks, on the optimal spatial organization of network elements (RIS relays, massive/cell-free MIMO), and on the impact of distributed real-time control and computing methods on network efficiency.

👉 Slides and presentations here

Focus on France 2030 strategy

Guillaume Bonnechère (DGE, Directeur de la Stratégie Nationale sur les Réseaux du Futur) and Laurent Béchou (DGRI) intervened to present the positioning of the PEPR, especially the PEPR Networks of the Future, among the measures put in place by France 2030.

👉 Slides and presentations here

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A structuring event for the community

These days provided an opportunity to take stock of the progress made in the Future Networks PEPR, to strengthen the ties between teams, and to open dialogue with all stakeholders in the field. They also highlighted the involvement of young researchers, with the organization of a poster competition dedicated to doctoral students. The winners will soon be featured through a series of individual portraits, allowing their work to be known and emphasizing their contribution to the future of networks.

🙏 Thank you to all the participants for their commitment, and see you in 2026 for new exchanges and scientific sharing at the Couvent des Jacobins in Rennes!