Wireless connectivity is evolving, and with it comes the opportunity, and responsibility, to shape a more sustainable future. The SUSTAIN-6G project is a major European research initiative focused on ensuring that 6G is not only technologically advanced but also environmentally and socially responsible. Real Wireless is contributing its expertise to help define how sustainability can be embedded into the very foundation of future wireless networks – both in how they’re built and how they’re used across critical sectors like energy, healthcare, and agriculture.
What is SUSTAIN-6G?
SUSTAIN-6G (SUSTainability Advanced and Innovative Networking with 6G – The European Sustainability Lighthouse Project) is part of the Horizon Europe programme and is led by Nokia. It brings together a consortium of leading European partners to explore how 6G can be a transformative enabler for sustainability across industries.
The project looks beyond greening telecom infrastructure. It also considers how 6G connectivity can help other sectors become more sustainable. Whether that’s by enabling smarter energy systems, increasing agricultural efficiency, or supporting more inclusive healthcare delivery.
Real Wireless plays a dual role within the project:
- Evaluating the sustainability of 6G technologies, ensuring the networks themselves are energy-efficient, resilient, and low-impact.
- Exploring how 6G can drive sustainable outcomes in other domains, such as enabling low-carbon innovation in transport or supporting intelligent systems in agriculture and health.
Collaboration in action
The recent plenary sessions in Munich brought together experts from across the consortium to align on shared goals and shape a roadmap for the project. These sessions covered everything from research priorities to how 6G capabilities can be mapped to real-world challenges.
Real Wireless is also leading the exploitation work within SUSTAIN-6G – helping to identify which innovations have long-term value, and how they can deliver tangible societal benefits. This involves bridging the gap between research and application, ensuring the outcomes of the project are not just visionary, but actionable.
“The Real Wireless team were pleased to join our SUSTAIN-6G partners at the project’s second plenary meeting hosted by Siemens in Munich. I led a session related to sustainability assessment and making progress towards a holistic framework for sustainability assessment which is a key objective of the project. Costa Tsourkas, Real Wireless, Manging Consultant presented next steps on the project’s exploitation framework which aims to capture how the project will support growth amongst participating partners based on market adoption beyond the project lifetime. Many thanks to Siemens for hosting and looking forward to seeing the SUSTAIN-6G team again in Athens for the next plenary meeting in the autumn.”
– Julie Bradford, Head of Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA), Real Wireless
Why it matters
As the vision for 6G begins to take shape, it’s becoming clear that performance alone isn’t enough. The networks of the future must be designed with sustainability as a core principle. From energy consumption and carbon emissions to digital inclusion, SUSTAIN-6G is tackling the key challenges head-on.
Real Wireless is proud to support the development of robust assessment frameworks and impact models that will help guide the evolution of 6G. These tools will play a crucial role in ensuring the industry moves forward with a shared understanding of what sustainable connectivity truly looks like.
This project is about more than network technology; it’s about insight, strategy, and collaboration. And it’s about ensuring that as wireless networks become more powerful, they also become more responsible.
