The PEPR Future Networks made a notable presence at the EuCNC & 6G Summit 2026, one of Europe’s largest gatherings dedicated to next-generation communication networks. From June 2 to 5, the PEPR team hosted a booth within the France 6G Pavilion, alongside the Mission nationale France 6G, to showcase the latest advancements in French research on 5G, 6G, and future networks.

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A week rich in demonstrations and exchanges

For five days, the PEPR Réseaux du Futur booth served as a hub of innovation, sharing, and collaboration, attracting academic, industrial, and institutional stakeholders from across Europe and beyond. The demonstrators played a key role in highlighting the diversity and excellence of French research through technical presentations, interactive discussions, and live demonstrations.

The event also provided an opportunity to strengthen ties with European institutions, including a visit from Thibaut Kleiner (Director for Future Networks, DG Connect) and Erzsébet Fitori (Executive Director of the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking – SNS JU), accompanied by Chiara Mazzone. These exchanges allowed the PEPR to present its work, discuss the challenges of future connectivity, and emphasize the importance of international collaboration in shaping the networks of tomorrow.

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Technological demonstrations at the heart of the event

Throughout the week, the PEPR Réseaux du Futur presented a series of innovative demonstrations, illustrating the progress made within its projects. These presentations covered a wide range of topics, from 5G radio link optimization to ultra-reliable industrial connectivity, as well as distributed AI and new frequency bands for 6G.

Network optimization and advanced connectivity

Several demonstrations focused on improving network performance using cutting-edge technologies:

• “Real-Time RAN Observability Demonstration in Open-Source 5G Systems” By Yassir Amami, Ziyad Mabrouk, Damien Saucez, and Walid Dabbous
  This demonstration showcased an end-to-end deployment and monitoring framework for cloud-native open-source 5G systems, including an interference scenario illustrated using real hardware.
• “RIS-Assisted Link Recovery and Optimization” By Abdel-karim ARIF and Philippe Martins
  A closed-loop optimization of a 5G FR1 radio link using a programmable metasurface, addressing a key challenge: How can we achieve a stable and optimized 5G connection?
• “Using RIS for mmWave Links Beyond 90 GHz” By Guillaume Ducournau
  Presentation of the latest results on RIS-assisted millimeter waves, supporting early 6G experiments. Exploring new frequency bands (from D-band to H-band) enables the use of new spectral resources for future connectivity, a core focus of the PEPR’s SYSTERA program.
• “DEC-NR FR3 O-RAN Distributed MIMO (Cell-Free)” By Jean-Baptiste Doré, Antony Pottier, and Valérian Mannoni
  A demonstration dedicated to ultra-reliable industrial connectivity, essential for critical applications.

Security and robustness in IoT networks

Security and reliability were also central themes in the presentations:

• “CSI-Based Jamming Detection for Industrial IoT Networks” By Aymen Bouferroum and Valeria Loscrì
  A lightweight jamming detection system leveraging WiFi Channel State Information on resource-constrained edge devices, with real-time visualization on an IIoT testbed.
• “Interference Mitigation in IoT Protocols with SIC and Neural Network-Based Single Blind Source Separation (SBSS)” By Filip Maksimovic and Diego B.
  An innovative approach to reduce interference in IoT environments, combining traditional methods with AI-based techniques.

Innovations for massive and asynchronous networks

The challenges of massive IoT networks were addressed through groundbreaking solutions:

• “Fully Asynchronous Radio Communications for Massive IoT” By Salim SAMA-MOLA, Charbel Abdel Nour, Jérémy Pierre-Nadal, and Catherine Douillard
  This demonstration revealed the limitations of conventional radio waveforms and introduced an innovative solution enabling robust and reliable communications in fully asynchronous massive IoT environments.

Open platforms for experimentation and innovation

Finally, demonstrations highlighted open platforms to facilitate experimentation and the deployment of advanced solutions:

• “NGS-AIOT” By Brahim ARAB and Philippe Martins
  An open platform to facilitate experimentation, innovation, and the deployment of 5G/6G, IoT, and distributed AI solutions.

A European showcase for French Research

The EuCNC & 6G Summit 2026 was an exceptional opportunity for the PEPR Réseaux du Futur to:
✅ Highlight the results and innovations of French research on the European stage.
✅ Connect the French community with international stakeholders to shape the future of communication networks together.
✅ Enhance the visibility of projects led by the PEPR and its partners, particularly within the France 6G Pavilion.

Commitment to diversity and inclusion

The PEPR Future Networks also participated in initiatives aimed at promoting diversity in telecommunications. Didier Bourse, a member of the PEPR’s Scientific and Technical Committee, contributed to the Women in Telecommunications and Research (WiTaR) special session, a key initiative to encourage greater representation of women in 6G research and innovation.

Additionally, the Mission nationale France 6G special session, opened by Hakima Chaouchi (France 6G Coordinator) and followed by Thomas Orazio (Coordinator of the French National Strategy on 5G and Future Networks), highlighted France’s ambitions to drive innovation in network technologies.

A big thank you to all the demonstrator teams for their dedication and hard work throughout the week. Their presentations sparked rich discussions and contributed to making this event a collective success. We also extend our gratitude to all visitors, partners, and speakers for their active participation.

See you next year for more advancements and equally enriching exchanges!

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