Over 200 attendees from Europe (representing 20 different countries of the EU) and from Japan, including policy makers, industry stakeholders, researchers and academia, gathered online on January 18, 2022.
EU and Japan policy makers and industry shared research and standardization plans for Beyond 5G during this second InDiCo workshop jointly hosted by the European Commission DG Connect and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and communications of Japan.
The objective of this workshop was to provide an update on research and innovation programs launched in the EU and Japan in late 2021 towards 6G and to present standardization work relative to two specific technology building blocks: Multi-access Edge Computing and Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces.
The workshop enabled exchanges of information and live interaction, with the aim to facilitate the cooperation between the EU and Japan, by building connections and trust and by sharing vision and priorities of action, thus contributing to the regular EU – Japan dialogue.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Yutaka KITAGAMI, Deputy Director General for International Economic Affairs, Global Strategy Bureau of MIC and co-chair of the workshop, highlighted some common priorities which have been identified between the EU and Japan for beyond 5G, including the need to enhance security, energy efficiency and to provide public funding for related research and development.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Tonnie de KOSTER, adviser for International Aspects of Digital Transformation, EC DG CONNECT and co-chair of the workshop also stressed the importance of defining a common vision to define priority areas of cooperation and establish relations between projects in the EU and in Japan.
All panelists recognized that paving the way for future global interoperable standards beyond 5G is a must to secure supply chains and to bring innovative, cost and energy-effective digital technologies for the benefits of all in by 2030.
The workshop also showed that global standardization work for beyond 5G technology building blocks has progressed in ETSI Industry Specification Groups on Multi-access Edge Computing (ISG MEC) and Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (ISG RIS), already involving major Japanese players.
The InDiCo team wishes to thank all speakers and panelists for the valued presentations and insights:
- Colin WILLCOCK, Chair, 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA)
- Akihiro NAKAO (University of Tokyo), Chairman, Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium International Committee
- David BOSWARTHICK, Director of New Technologies, ETSI
- Seizo ONOE, Chief Standardization Strategy Officer, NTT Corp and Fellow, NTT DOCOMO, INC.
- Hiroyuki ATARASHI, Senior Manager, RAN Development Department, NTT DOCOMO, INC. (Vice-Chairman of ITU-R Study Group 5)
- Arman SHOJAEIFARD, Chair of ETSI Industry Specification Group on Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces
- Hiromi MATSUNO, PhD, R&D Manager on Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces, KDDI Research, Inc.
- Daisuke MATSUURA, PhD, Manager, Research & Business Development Center, Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
- Dario SABELLA, Chair of ETSI Industry Specification Group on Multi-Access Edge Computing
- Masaki SUZUKI, PhD, Research Engineer on Multi-Access Edge Computing, KDDI Research
- Bernard BARANI, Deputy Head of Unit, Future Networks, EC DG CONNECT
- Stefan KRAMER, First Counsellor at the Delegation of the EU to Japan