The large-scale rollout of 5G networks has started becoming a reality, with big vendors deploying 5G network equipment and MNOs being on the verge of its commercialization. However, in parallel to the deployment of such 5G high-performing network, there is an unprecedented urge to support solutions tailored to specific types of networks, capable of offering ubiquitous coverage with high data rate availability, densification and high capillarity of access points to enhance 5G system capacity. Affordable5G aims at creating a 5G network that will deliver a complete and affordable solution covering the needs of private and enterprise networks through technical innovation that span across all parts of 5G network, leveraging cell densification, RU/DU/CU split, hardware acceleration, edge computing and core network virtualization, seamlessly combined with the adoption of open source RAN, MEC and MANO solutions, for cloud-native, micro-service based deployments. To achieve its innovative and ambitious goal, the consortium brings together ten European SMEs, supported by MVNOs, system integrators and research institutes, grasping the opportunity to enhance their products, according to each company’s roadmap, while fostering collaboration among them. In this way, Affordable5G will offer a first-class opportunity to European SMEs to become frontrunners in the global 5G competition, facilitating them in their commercialization paths and strategies in niche market cases of neutral hosting, private networks and MVNOs with new entrant actors. The innovative solution will be evaluated and validated in two vertical pilots related to emergency communications and smart cities, which have been properly selected as being highly representative in terms of system performance, scalability, mobility patterns, slice types, deployment requirements and impact in the future 5G market.

Communications play a fundamental role in the economic and social well-being of the citizens and on operations of most of the CIs. Thus they are a primary target for criminals having a multiplier effect on the power of attacks and providing enormous resonance and gains. Also extreme weather events and natural disasters represents a challenge due to their increase in frequency and intensity requiring smarter resilience of the Communication CIs, which are extremely vulnerable due to the ever-increasing complexity of the architecture also in light of the evolution towards 5G, the extensive use of programmable platforms and exponential growth of connected devices. The fact that most enterprises still manage physical and cyber security independently represents a further challenge. RESISTO platform is an innovative solution for Communication CIs holistic situation awareness and enhanced resilience (aligned with ECSO objectives). Based on an Integrated Risk and Resilience analysis management and improvement process availing all resilience cycle phases (prepare, prevent, detect, absorb, etc.) and technical resilience capabilities (sense, model, infer, act, adopt), RESISTO implements an innovative Decision Support System to protect communication infrastructures from combined cyber-physical threats exploiting the Software Defined Security model on a suite of state of the art cyber/physical security components (Blockchain, Machine Learning, IoT security, Airborne threat detection, holistic audio-video analytics) and services (Responsible Disclosure Framework) for detection and reaction in presence of attacks or natural disasters. Through RESISTO Communications Operators, will be able to implement a set of mitigation actions and countermeasures that significantly reduce the impact of negative events in terms of performance losses, social consequences, and cascading effects in particular by bouncing efficiently back to original and forward to operational states of operation.

Delivering on the 5G promise of increased data rates, and ubiquitous coverages, poses stringent requirements on traditional vertically integrated operators. In particular, telecom operators are expected to massively roll out Small Cells, which requires finding appropriate urban spaces with both backhaul and energy availability. Network sharing becomes essential to unlock those commercial massive deployments. The open access model, or neutral host, will come to play a key role on the deployment of 5G networks, especially in urban scenarios where very dense Small Cell deploymens are required. In parallel recent trends are paving the way towards the development of new, heterogeneous and distributed cloud paradigms that significantly differ from today’s established cloud model: with edge computing, cloud architectures are pushed all the way to the edge of the network, close to the devices that produce and act on data. We posit that there are two sets of players perfectly poised to take advantage of both trends since they already own the infrastructure needed to build edge deployments: telecommunication providers and municipalities. 5GCity focuses on how common smart city infrastructure (i.e.,small cells and processing power at the very edge of networks) can bring benefit to both players based on resource sharing and end-to-end virtualization, pushing the cloud model to the extreme edge. 5GCity will design, develop, deploy and demonstrate a distributed cloud and radio platform for municipalities and infrastructure owners acting as 5G neutral hosts. 5GCity’s main aim is to build and deploy a common, multi-tenant, open platform that extends the (centralized) cloud model to the extreme edge of the network, with a demonstration in three different cities (Barcelona, Bristol and Lucca). 5GCity will directly impact a large and varied range of actors: (i) telecom providers; (ii) municipalities; and (iii) a number of different vertical sectors utilizing the city infrastructure

5GMed brings together key stakeholders of the “Barcelona – Perpignan” cross-border section of the Mediterranean corridor including MNOs, road and rail operators and neutral hosts, complemented with innovative SMEs developing AI functions, and selected R&D centers with a proven track record in 5G research and innovation. Given the proximity of the E15 highway and the high-speed rail track in the considered cross-border section, the 5GMed consortium will demonstrate how a multi-stakeholder 5G infrastructure featuring a variety of technologies, including Rel.16 5GNR at 3.5 GHz, Rel.16 NR-V2X at 5.9 GHz, unlicensed mm-wave, network slicing and service orchestration, can be used to jointly deliver CCAM and FRMCS services. The considered CCAM use cases include Remote Driving in cross-border open roads to enable safe fallback operation in Level 4 autonomous driving, and the massive sensorization of road infrastructures enabling AI-powered traffic management algorithms in the presence of legacy vehicles. The considered FRMCS use cases include performance services where AI-functions running on the infrastructure side analyze camera feeds from high speed trains in real-time, and business services providing high-speed internet to passengers and in-train neutral hosting capabilities to MNOs. A Follow Me Infotainment use case will demonstrate live migration of media functions across cross-border scenarios both in automotive and railways environments. The technical activities of 5GMed are complemented by a carefully designed impact maximization strategy including: i) demonstrations in key industrial events, ii) concrete measures to influence standardization and policy makers, iii) cost-benefit analysis of the 5GMed deployment models, and iv) joint exploitation and business modes. 5GMed ambitions to become the lighthouse project for CCAM and FRMCS deployment in cross-border scenarios that can be replicated across Europe and trigger further investments through the CEF2 program.

GrowSmarter aims to: • Improve the quality of life for European citizens by better mobility, housing and the quality of urban infrastructure while improving the citizens economy by lower energy costs and creating as much as 1500 new jobs (on the demonstration level). • Reduce the environmental impact by lower energy needs by 60 % and increased use of renewable energy thus reducing GHG emissions even more. • Create sustainable economic development by demonstrating and preparing a wider rollout of smart solutions. GrowSmarter will demonstrate at 3 lighthouse cities 12 smart, integrated solutions as a way of preparing for a wider market rollout. These solutions are integrated in specially chosen sites making demonstration easy to reach and take part of for the 5 follower cities and other European and international study groups. All the smart solutions are fit into the Lighthouse-cities strategic development plans and the follower cities replication plans. The solutions solve common urban challenges such as: • Renewal of existing buildings. GrowSmarter demonstrates the cost efficient renewal of 100.000 square meters of Nearly Zero or low energy districts reducing energy demand by 70-90%, • Integrated infrastructures for ICT, street lighting, smart grids district heating and smarter waste handling • Sustainable urban mobility for both passenger and gods integrated in smart grids, biofuels from household waste thus reducing local air quality emissions by 60%. The integration of Cities, strong group of industrial partners together and quality research organisations guarantee that the solutions will be both validated by independent research organisations and transformed into Smart Business Solutions by industry for the wider rollout to Europe. Growsmarter builds on integrated, close to the market solutions, to form business models for their wider deployment by the industrial partners. The project will help Europe GrowSmarter!