Research and Innovation in Europe on Cloud for 6G Networks

Cloud is becoming increasingly important in the telecommunication sector in view of 6G networks. Moreover, cloud has gained major attention after the European Commission published a white paper proposing the creation of the “3C Network”, a European telco edge/cloud infrastructure, which aims to increase collaboration between European players and ensure innovation, and economic and digital security in Europe. In a 6G network, a telco cloud can play three different roles. First, it is a basis to implement 6 G Radio Access Network (RAN) and other network functions. Second, the telco cloud can implement Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other applications for 3rd party providers in the edge. Third, it allows devices/cars/drones/persons to outsource compute capabilities to the 6G edge. Currently, there are various ongoing European activities that address cloud, but they often have different focus and requirements. This paper provides an overview of ongoing activities related to telco edge/cloud. The analysis on the ongoing activities showed a clear trend towards providing open-source and/or standardised solutions. Furthermore, it has been identified that the topic of security is widely addressed.