Dear readers,
Recently, a widespread blackout affecting Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France has brought critical infrastructure and public services to a standstill, underscoring the vulnerability of interconnected systems. The recent blackout highlights the strategic importance of Europe’s investment in a secure, interoperable communications infrastructure. Resilent systems must be designed and deployed to enable emergency services to transmit voice and data seamlessly and securely across national boundaries—ensuring coordinated response efforts, even when conventional networks are disrupted.
Critical infrastructure forms the backbone of modern society. It includes the essential systems and assets—such as energy, transportation, communications, and digital networks—that enable nations to function effectively and securely.
In an increasingly interconnected and digital world, the resilience and adaptability of critical infrastructure is more vital than ever. As emerging technologies like 6G, AI, and smart grids reshape our lives, ensuring that these foundational systems remain secure, sustainable, and reliable is not just a necessity—but a societal imperative as presented in the Kennedy’s perspective.
The EU Connectivity initiative, through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) – 5G for Transport Corridors aims to establish high-speed, low-latency connectivity across national borders, enabling the next-generation of automated and connected vehicles across various modes of transport. This cross-border digital infrastructure is essential to advancing Europe’s smart mobility agenda and enhancing the resilience in transport networks.
The recent research and innovation towards the needs of public safety has led to a higher priority to establish the European Critical Communication System (EUCCS) by 2030, which will be laid on LTE and 5G. Several programs and projects are presented in the article on Realising the Public Safety Vertical – The European Critical Communication System (EUCCS).
Modernization and protection of critical infrastructure is essential for enabling long-term growth, protecting communities, and enhancing global competitiveness. SUSTAIN-6G project is focused on integrating sustainability into the development of 6G communication technologies, it aims to align technological advancements with environmental goals enhancing the synergy between 6G and vertical use cases to minimize negative environmental impacts. In the article Powering the Future: The Smart Grid transformation for a sustainable tomorrow, the essential role of information and communication systems in Smart Grids is presented.
The use of large language models (LLMs) across sectors is growing, driving widespread adoption for next-generation services and digital ecosystems. At the core of this transformation lies data, now recognized as a strategic asset and a pillar of critical infrastructure. Its availability, integrity, and intelligent use are increasingly vital in building a Secured Platform in the project PAROMA-MED.
In the article “From Under the Sea to Space: Critical Digital Infrastructures for Global Connectivity” Program Manager Adam Kapovits from Eurescom shares his experience and perspective on the technologies for connectivity, Vulnerabilities and incidents and what needs to be changed in modern times in the global undersea connectivity infrastructure to improve resilience. Finally, he paints a picture on how satellite communication can be a solution to some of the problems.
Investing in the modernization and protection of critical infrastructure is essential for enabling long-term growth, protecting communities, and enhancing global competitiveness. By fostering collaboration between governments, industry leaders, and innovators, we can build infrastructure that not only withstands today’s challenges but also supports a more resilient, inclusive, and technologically advanced future, not only for innovation and competitiveness, but also for ensuring the resilience and functionality of essential societal systems in an interconnected world.
Additionally, Eurescom co-ordinated and participated projects presented demostration at high profile event like Mobile World congress, reaffirming our dedication to driving advancements in next-generation communication technologies, with a focus on 6G by engaging in collaborative workshops, panel discussions, and strategic initiatives.
My editorial colleagues and I are confident that you will find valuable insights in this edition of Eurescom’s Message. We warmly welcome your feedback on the current issue and invite your suggestions for topics to explore in future editions.
Happy reading!
Pooja Mohnani
Editor-in-chief
