PARTNERS

Upatras

Project Coordinator

Technical Manager

Telefonica
Lionx
PICadvanced
Ubitech
Opsys
Infinera
Cnit
ETHzutich
cttc
Polariton
uc3m
HHI
Proteus 6G
Programmable Reconfigurable Optical Transport for Efficiently offering Unconstrained Services in 6G

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  • PROTEUS-6G project is funded by the EU’s HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024 program under Grant Agreement No. 101139134
  • proteus6g@upatras.gr
  • 2024 PROTEUS-6G
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UPΑΤ | one of the largest Universities in Greece, is specialized in studies related with performance optimization of backbone/access optical communications systems, 5Gconverged fixed-wireless networks and datacenter interconnects. On the topic of all-optical access networks has worked for many years, leading the efforts in the relevant EU Projects INSPACE and BLUESPACE that paved the way to next generation ultra-high throughput switching nodes and currently running SNS program FLEX-SCALE.

Role: UPAT is the project coordinating institution and leads the activities in WP1. It will collaborate closely with the Technical Manager & the WP leaders. UPAT will also lead T1.4, T2.1, T4.1 and T7.1. Primarily its technical contributions will focus on studies related to the definition of 6G x-haul requirements, the scalability studies of the proposed solution and the evaluation of its performance tolerances in terms of key system characteristics. It will perform studies for the performance of the overall x-haul network and its optimization, in partnership with TID, CNIT and CTTC, but most efforts will be directed to the lite coherent transceiver alongside with POL & ETHZ.

Expectancies: Its investigations will provide more accurate indications of the KPIs that are possible to be achieved, under a range of varying parameters and traffic patterns. Furthermore, by utilizing its expertise in techno-economic studies, will contribute to the cost-benefits analysis and in exploitation/dissemination plans.

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HUJI | is Israel’s top ranked university, offering a flourishing research environment and academic excellence. The Photonics Devices Lab conducts research on optical devices and subsystems for telecom applications, utilizing guided-wave and free-space optics and their combination. The group’s key expertise in switching in filtering has played a central role in past EU projects FOX-C,OTONES, and INSPACE, and currently running SNS program FLEX-SCALE.

Role: HUJI’s expertise in switches operating in the spectral and spatial domains, will be harnessed for the network switching elements of PROTEUS-6G, namely the new, “missing piece” element for efficient subcarrier switching, the circular subcarrier demultiplexer implemented by a network of sharp interleavers. Hence, HUJI’s main activity is concentrated in WP3, dealing with the spatially-diverse point to multi-point (SDPtMP) architecture (leading T3.1), designing the dual-stage RAMZI interleavers and switches (T3.2), and performing the functional testing and programming of the PIC (T3.3), with additional contributions in WP2 (system definitions) and WP6 (testbed demonstration). HUJI will also serve as the project’s Technical Manager, helping to resolve conflicting technical issues, and checking the deliverables quality.

Expectancies: Develop in-house specialization in the design, realization, training and testing of RAMZI interleavers, especially cascaded network of such FIR/IIR optical filters. The circular subcarrier demultiplexer has four inputs and four outputs, and multiple phase adjustors to properly align the filter.

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TID | Telefonica I+D is the research arm of one of the largest telecom operators globally with footprint that goes well beyond Europe. It is one of the most important contributors to Standardization bodies and industry associations.

Role: TID focuses its efforts on WP2, WP5, WP6 and WP7, and will make key contributions in defining use-case scenarios and 6G packet-optical x-haul network topologies and architectures to take full advantage of the P2P and P2MP transmission and spectral/spatial switching technologies to be developed in the project, as well as the realisation of networking studies and techno-economic evaluations. It will also host a testbed to carry out experimental demonstrations of practical use cases related to the P2MP transport solutions, along with the testing activities associated with them. In particular, TID is very interested in the “Network as a Service” use case and will work on development and standardisation of agnostic interfaces enabling the provision of network slices with specific SLAs in the packet-optical x-haul. Finally, TID will lead WP7 and, in particular, the exploitation efforts, through techno-economic evaluations, as well as showcasing and promoting the project contributions in relevant standardization and industrial bodies, e.g., ONF, Openconfig, TIP, etc.

Expectancies: TID will use its leverage to promote the developments of the project to other vendors, in addition to INF-G, and to other service providers, through contributions in global fora such as TIP or IOWN. In particular, TID is mainly interested and will focus its dissemination activities on aspects such as flexibility, scalability and energy-consumption reduction expected from the 6G packet-optical x-haul network architectures to be proposed in PROTEUS-6G.

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LIX | is a technology provider for the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and as such the company takes on an active role in co-designing PICs based on their proprietary hybrid and heterogeneous TriPleX platform in 405 nm-2350 nm.

Role: LIX will lead WP3 and will define a suite of building blocks in a verified process flow for fast tuneable (<10 µs) PZT-enabled polarisation-independent low-loss silicon nitride waveguides. LIX will also design and fabricate the novel dual-stage RAMZI interleavers and switches.

Expectancies: Implementation of the LIX specific PDK toolkit as an extension of VPI simulation framework for the development of filtering, signal processors and switched based on the TriPleX low-loss platform, offers new simulation capabilities towards the implementation of new viable solutions within 6G networks and opens cost-effective fabrication at high volume, (>10k units/year); a multi-M€ opportunity as strategic supplier to IDM/OEM.

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PICA | PICadvanced is an SME based in Aveiro, Portugal, with a long experience in development of NG -POdN2 transceiver solutions and innovative products for standard optical interfaces via the use of photonic integrated circuits. The company’s expertise in packaging advanced photonic integrated circuits, which include DC, broad bandwidth optical interconnects RF, and control boards, has led to its participation in numerous projects at national and international level.

Role: PICadvanced is mainly involved in WP3 and WP4. In WP3, PICA contributes to the design, assembly, and packaging of the fabricated SDPtMP modules fabricated by LIX, including the development of the control board, and thermal and mechanical interfaces. On WP4, PICA will be responsible for the design and implementation of the electrical control board, packaging and assembly of the plasmonic integrated circuit. Moreover, PICA will work on the dissemination and exploitation activities.

Expectancies: PICA aims to further enhance its competencies and product portfolio by acquiring valuable expertise in electronic plasmonic ICs and high-density photonic circuit integration. This strategic move will enable PICA to offer cutting-edge solutions to its clients and position itself as a leader in the field of photonic integration. PICA is committed to leveraging its experience and know-how gained from the project to support the growth and success of the consortium.

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UBI | UBITECH is an SME providing specialised software solutions in various fields including service management and network resource orchestration for the purposes of this project. UBI’s vision is to enable secure access to any service, data and information anytime, anywhere, providing its customers and business partners with robust, extensible and customizable security-enhanced solutions for information sharing, data exchange, services invocation and communication.

Role: UBI is the main provider for the service management orchestration solution and the interface with the SDN controllers (T5.3) that will enable to demonstrate the logic for reconfiguring the advance elements in the fronthaul and mid-haul part of the network infrastructure. In addition, UBI contributes to the related system requirements and the integration with overall testbed.

Expectancies: UBI expects to significantly extend its know-how on specialised O-RAN solutions providing also a way to map the application orchestrator solutions it has (i.e., the Maestro Orchestrator) with an innovative dynamically reconfigurable controller, thus enhancing its presence in the future 6G systems.

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OPSYS | is an SME provider of fibre optic subsystems that enable high-speed voice, video and data communications for networking, storage, wireless and radio over fibre applications. OPSYS’ main expertise
is in device, subsystem, and system opto-mechanical, electro-optical integration, including high- and low-level device control and network interfaces, who will design and manufacture high density and high baud rate transceivers and high port count wavelength selective switch (WSS) based line cards.

Role: OPSYS’ expertise in variety of line cards design will be utilized for the integration of SDPtMP unit in the network, mainly OPSYS will develop the SDPtMP control element for the device real-time reconfiguration. For the SDPtMP integration into the demo network OPSYS will develop SW and FW to allow network orchestrator access to the switch. OPSYS will apply the company’s expertise on optimization of control FW in FPGA for the AOSP-EQZ and POLtrack algorithms. In WP3 OPSYS will be part of T3.1 T3.2 T3.3 and will lead T3.4 for SDPtMP unit controller design and implementation. In WP4 (T4.1 and T4.4) OPSYS will take a part in AOSP and POLtrack algorithm implementation in FPGA. OPSYS in WP6 will work on integration.

Expectancies: OPSYS will assist towards the commercialization of the SDPtMP unit and ULC transceiver technologies by licensing them from the relevant consortium partners.

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INF-G | Coriant R&D GmbH is an affiliate of Infinera. Infinera is a leading provider of optical networking solutions for research and industry. Infinera’s achievements include developing the first large-scale photonic integrated circuit (PIC), delivering the first commercially available 800G coherent transmission solution, and enabling record-breaking optical transmission experiments over transoceanic distances. Infinera’s capabilities span from edge to core, from metro to long-haul, and from terrestrial to submarine networks. Infinera’s role is to empower network operators with innovative and scalable solutions that can meet the growing demand for bandwidth and performance in the digital era. As a thought leader and technology driven innovator, Infinera is at the forefront of the implementation of next generation optical technologies into products. Coriant R&D GmbH, in its affiliate role, provides certain standardization and product development resources to Infinera in support of Infinera’s leadership role within the optical networking solutions industry.

Role: INF-G will be working closely with TID in driving the exploitation of the project results. INF-G will lead T7.2 and help steering the project towards providing true solutions for future challenges in optical communications and will use its resources to support exploitation through publication and standardization.

Expectancies: ING-G’s expertise in the high-end telecommunications market will be key to guide the project towards a successful and impactful end result. Furthermore, its expertise in standardization and product development, will benefit exploitation/dissemination plans.

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CNIT | CNIT (National, Inter-University Consortium for Telecommunications, www.cnit.it) is a non-profit consortium, established in 1995, bringing together 38 public Italian universities to perform research, innovation and education/training activities in the field of the Information and Communication Technology. CNIT operates 46 Research Units, one for each member university, plus eight other units belonging to institutes of the National Research Council (CNR, the largest public research institution in Italy) that reached a cooperation agreement with CNIT. CNIT also operates six National Laboratories: Photonic Networks & Technologies; Radar & Surveillance Systems; Multimedia Communications; Smart, Sustainable and Secure Internet Technologies and Infrastructures; Wireless Communications. CNIT participated in hundreds of research projects, including EU coordinated projects, ERC grants and Italian nation-wide initiatives. In H2020 European program the CNIT has obtained 48 projects, with 11 of the latter being coordinated by CNIT. CNIT has also a significant experience in the organization of scientific events and conferences. The innovation and technology transfer of research results towards end-users and industry is a primary mission for CNIT. CNIT also promotes the collaboration between member universities and other educational institutes as well as technical and scientific collaborations with national and international research institutes and industries.

Role: CNIT will be involved directly or through third party in theoretical, numerical, and experimental activities as well as management. On the one hand, CNIT leads WP2 where harmonisation among different approaches will be crucial in order to match at the same time operator requirement and new 6G features with system designers and devices developers. On the other hand, CNIT will play roles both at the system level by developing models and performing numerical analyses, and at the network layer leading T5.1 where SDN control and telemetry will be developed. Finally, CNIT will plan the demonstration activities leading the T6.1.

Expectancies: CNIT as a European research institution will increase awareness, experience, and role within 6G development. Research in PROTEUS-6G project will extend CNIT expertise with respect to network and system models, hardware and software integration, and lab demonstration. Synergies within and without the consortium will contribute to increase European competitiveness in research and development of strategical infrastructure.

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ETHZ | is among the top ten rated universities in Europe. It is a technical educational institution for more than 22K students and the largest technical university in Switzerland.

Role: The IEF institute is mostly engaged in WP 2, 4 and 6. ETHZ develops the C/L-band passive optics for dual-polarization high-speed plasmonic circuits, and the detectors for the receiver. ETHZ also contributes to the co-integration of the plasmonic technologies, to the optical signal processor and to the final demonstrations. Furthermore, ETHZ will lead WP4 and will provide the laboratory infrastructure for high-speed data measurements in this WP.

Expectancies: At the end of the project, ETH will not only have trained new generations of scientists but might also have generated new IP and science insights.

Remark: ETHZ as Swiss entity is an associated partner that will be funded by the Swiss State.

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CTTC | Non-profit R&D center. Research expertise is mainly focused on technologies related to network infrastructure, services and transmission systems. PONS research unit, within CTTC, is
involved in the project consortium with expertise in packet optical communications and networking technologies, edge and cloud computing infrastructure for virtual functions and applications, network and service management and spectrally & spatially multiplexed transmission systems with suitable photonic technologies, adaptive transceivers and optical monitoring systems.

Role: CTTC will lead T1.3, T2.2, T5.2 and WP5. Mainly, CTTC will work on the definition of the two PROTEUS-6G 6G packet-optical x-haul network architectures and in the design and development of a control, orchestration and service management of PROTEUS-6G transport network, algorithms for dynamic functional split selection and non-intrusive optical performance monitoring techniques.

Expectancies: Thanks to the developed work within PROTEUS-6G, CTTC will acquire know-how on enhancing network flexibility, providing optimal utilization of the resources, simplifying and optimizing network operation while ensuring low power consumption reconfiguration. These will enable dissemination activities and possibility of new training, collaboration projects and Industry opportunities.

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POL | Polariton Technologies Ltd. is a Swiss SME company established in Adliswil. The company develops, simulates, designs, manufactures, and sells chip-level and packaged products as a solution for broadband interfaces between electrical and optical signals. The core technology of the company is plasmonics that allows for the signal conversion of microwave signals (of at least up to 500 GHz) to optical signals while ensuring compact and energy-efficient operation.

Role: The main focus lies on the simulation, design, and manufacturing of PROTEUS’s coherent lite transceiver. POL leads the task 4.3 which is dedicated to the design and manufacturing of the photonic ICs. Furthermore, it contributed to simulations, design, assembly and testing of the coherent lite transceiver in the tasks 4.2, 4.4 and 4.5 in WP4. In the final demo in WP6 POL will contribute with the integration of the transmitter prototype.

Expectancies: Foster innovation and develop key devices and building-blocks for future 6G applications, therefore, establishing and strengthening the European value chain.

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UC3M | is a public University founded in 1989 with the objective of providing an efficient, high quality public undergraduate and graduate education. In its three decades of existence, it has established itself among the best universities in Spain. The research group involved in the project has a track record of participation in EU research programs on advanced networking, including a number of 5G-PPP projects, software/hardware prototypes and participation in standardization organisms. UC3M is a member of the 6G IA.

Role: UC3M will lead T2.4 and will coordinate the work related to optimal use of PROTEUS-6G technology in realistic network scenarios. UC3M will collaborate in architectural design, techno-economics, fronthaul synchronisation and latency engineering suitable for 6G. UC3M will also be very active in dissemination.

Expectancies: UC3M plans to put forward the software and algorithms developed for latency and network resource management, participate in joint patents with the industrial partners to protect the inventions in this area and license the related software. In addition, UC3M expects to produce a PhD thesis, and multiple journals and conference papers disseminating project’s outcomes.

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HHI | Fraunhofer is Europe’s largest application-oriented research organization. It currently maintains 70 research institutes at locations throughout Germany. The participating institute in PROTEUS-6G is the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) with its department Photonic Networks & Systems (PN). The PN department has been engaged in application-oriented research in the field of high-speed opti-cal communication for more than 20 years. The department runs a large research infrastructure including high perfomance test & measurement equipment as well as state-of-the art commercial optical transport equipment from different vendors, attached to field-deployed fiber. HHI takes part in the 5G Berlin testbed initiative running the open5GPhotonics testbed.

Role: HHI will be mainly involved in the technology evaluation and demonstration in WP6 and work closely together with the partners delivering the PROTEUS-6G innovations in WP3 (spatially-diverse point-to-multipoint (SDPtMP) network distribution elements), WP4 (plasmonic-based transceivers) and WP5 (SDN orchestration). HHI will lead T5.4. WP6 & T6.2.

Expectancies: Evaluate the novel and innovative 6G technologies in PROTEUS-6G and exploit it in collaboration with other partners in follow-up project proposals and prototype developments.