Four UNITY-6G papers were presented during the 2025 edition of EuCNC & 6G Summit, held in Poznań, Poland. The papers highlighted key innovations in orchestration, network intelligence, and sustainable 6G architecture, showcasing UNITY-6G’s commitment to advancing Europe’s leadership in next-generation communications.
Network Resource Management for Unified 6G Network: The UNITY-6G Approach
Authored by Engin Zeydan, Luis Blanco, Cristian Jesus Vaca Rubio, Jorge Baranda, Albert Bel, Farhana Javed, Pol Henarejos, Horacio Bleda, Josep Mangues, and Selva Via
This paper introduces the UNITY-6G architecture, a unified and modular framework for end-to-end network resource management spanning terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. Designed with intelligence, trust, privacy, sustainability, and scalability in mind, the architecture incorporates service-based control, blockchain-enabled security, and a distributed AI agent hierarchy (local, regional, and global) for adaptive orchestration. UNITY-6G supports dynamic allocation of resources and real-time optimization to meet the demands of use cases such as immersive XR, energy management, and industrial automation.
Exploiting 6G RAN and Core Network Information for Intelligent Edge-Cloud Service Orchestration
Authored by M. Dalgitsis, G. M. Kibalya, M. A. Serrano, J. Serra, and A. Antonopoulos
This paper presents a novel, cloud-native orchestration framework that leverages data from both the Radio Access Network (RAN) and Core Network (CN) to optimize edge-cloud service delivery in 5G and 6G environments. Three orchestration mechanisms are proposed: autoscaling services based on user sessions (HSIA), resource-aware scaling via radio traffic (HSRA), and intelligent service migration to the cloud when edge resources are saturated (HSECM). The framework significantly reduces energy usage and service disruption, enhancing sustainability while maintaining quality of experience.
Advances in Network Orchestration for Security, Scalability, and Sustainability
Authored by Engin Zeydan, Luis Blanco, Sadeep Batewela, Pasika Ranaweera, and Madhusanka Liyanage
This paper explores the evolving role of orchestration technologies in future network systems, with a focus on their application in Beyond 5G and 6G. It provides a taxonomy of orchestration strategies—service, resource, lifecycle, and security orchestration—and analyzes their roles in enabling secure and scalable network management. A dedicated case study on IoT security orchestration in 5G reveals current limitations and paves the way for future research. The paper concludes with insights into key challenges and potential directions in achieving adaptable, secure, and sustainable orchestration.
UNITY-6G: UNified archITecture for Open RAN-Enabled Distributed, Scalable and SustainabilitY-Enhanced 6G Networks
Authored by Luis Blanco, Selva Via, Cristian J. Vaca-Rubio, Engin Zeydan, Luis Miguel Contreras Murillo, Gil Kedar, Gianluca Rizzo Antonio, Angelos Antonopoulos, Jetmir Haxhibeqiri, Vasilis Maglogiannis, Dries Naudts, Jeroen Hoebeke, Tomaso de Cola, Lorenzo Galati Giordano, Gianluca Fontanesi, Sotirios Spantideas, Harilaos Koumaras, Massimo Neri, Andrea Vesco, Carla Amatetti, Nuria Candelaria Trujillo Quijada, Marcin Dryjański, Nikolaos Kanakaris, Carina Pamminger, Matteo Pagin, and Filip Ivanovic.
This foundational paper presents the overarching vision and architecture of the UNITY-6G project. It proposes a scalable, AI-native, and sustainability-oriented design for future 6G networks integrating terrestrial and non-terrestrial domains, xHaul, Open RAN, and edge-to-cloud continuum. The architecture leverages service-based design principles, blockchain, semantic communications, digital twins, and distributed applications (dApps) for intelligent orchestration. Four representative use cases demonstrate the architecture’s adaptability and societal relevance: disaster-resilient networks, real-time XR/holographic experiences, digital twin-based network evaluation, and time-sensitive industrial applications over O-RAN-enabled NPNs.
The presented UNITY-6G papers reinforce the project’s active role in shaping the technical and architectural foundations of future 6G networks, supporting the transition to intelligent, secure, and sustainable digital infrastructures.
To learn more about UNITY-6G’s presence at the event, read this event report. You can find all papers published by UNITY-6G here.
About EuCNC & 6G Summit
The 2025 EuCNC & 6G Summit built on the legacy of two leading telecommunications conferences: EuCNC (European Conference on Networks and Communications), supported by the European Commission, and the 6G Summit, launched by Finland’s pioneering 6G Flagship program. Sponsored by the IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc), the European Association for Signal Processing (EURASIP), and the European Association on Antennas and Propagation (EurAAP), the event covered a broad spectrum of topics—from 5G deployment and mobile IoT to 6G research and future communications systems.
The conference attracted over 1,000 delegates from more than 40 countries and featured an exhibition of over 50 booths showcasing cutting-edge technology, including results from EU-funded research projects. It remains one of the most influential venues for researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers to exchange ideas and shape the evolution of the telecommunications landscape.
