Duration: 01/01/2024 – 31/12/2026
Total Funding: € 4,325,270
Overview
Network architectures stemming from operator-centric strategies have resulted in monolithic entities, such as 4G gateways and 5G network functions, supporting numerous users. As the number of connected devices increases, these centralised systems risk becoming bottlenecks, and therefore highlight the need for transitioning to a user-centric 6G approach. This requires architectural redesign, centred on distributed edge–cloud infrastructure and openness, which introduces significant security challenges. Unlike 5G’s protocol-level trust, 6G must ensure trusted connections through device and behavioural assurances. A native, holistic security framework is needed, encompassing not only safety and privacy, but also trustworthiness, resilience, and reliability, marking a major departure from traditional, centralised models.
On top of the open and distributed USN/NSN-based 6G core over the edge-cloud continuum, SAFE-6G will use a holistic approach to develop and validate a 6G-ready native trustworthiness framework that will enable user-centric safety, security, privacy, resilience and reliability functions. Using advanced AI/ML techniques, it will optimise the Level of Trust based on each user’s trust needs and data governance policies. The framework will manage trust throughout the 6G service lifecycle, from onboarding and deployment to operation and termination, ensuring continuous, user-centric trust management.
Objectives
Design, implement and evaluate a cognitive coordination framework of the distributed Explainable AI/ML techniques that realise the Level of Trust at each user-centric 6G System instance across the edge-cloud continuum, together with an MLOps training framework.
Design and develop the five AI-assisted user-centric functions (safety, security, privacy, resilience and reliability) that altogether in a zero-trust approach and under cognitive coordination realise the native trustworthiness of a user-centric distributed 6G ecosystem.
Ensure compatibility between the developed framework with currently developed edge cloud continuum MetaOS, reassuring interoperability, compatibility and sustainability of the proposed SAFE-6G framework in future deployments.
Verify and validate the proposed framework using two Metaverse-based pilots, where the immersive-applications will be tested considering different 6G system setups, different service flavours, deployments and under various threats and attacks.
eBOS Role in the Project
Within SAFE-6G, eBOS will design, develop and implement the safety mechanism of future 6G networks, focused on a user-centric approach, leveraging its extensive knowledge and expertise to Software Defined Perimeter (SDP). eBOS will develop an open-source AI-based SDP stack that emphasises strong network security and safety, tailored to function seamlessly with SAFE-6G’s proposed user-centric 6G Packet Core. The developed AI-empowered SDP will provide the protection of infrastructure nodes and ensuring the availability of relevant microservices to specific users, creating new opportunities and capabilities for the telecommunication industry.
eBOS will also contribute to the exploitation tasks for the project. Efforts will be geared towards advancing knowledge, cooperation and collaboration with project partners and stakeholders, and reinforcing understanding of novel technologies and architectures. eBOS will expand their customer base beyond the current geographical region and extend sales towards software solutions and services.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
