Spain is positioning itself as a leader in the roll-out of 6G in Europe

• Narcís Cardona, Director of the 6G Joint Innovation Centre and Vice-President of the One6G Association, as well as a researcher at the iTEAM Research Institute at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, will offer a strategic overview of the role Spain is playing in shaping this new technology.
• The ninth edition of the 5G Forum will be held in Seville from 12 to 15 May in a hybrid format, with two days of in-person sessions at the Cartuja Auditorium —managed by Yventu— at Seville TechPark, and two further days of virtual sessions.

The ninth edition of the 5G Forum – “Where technology leaders meet”, to be held in Seville from 12 to 15 May, will focus not only on the evolution of 5G, but also on the leap towards the next generation of connectivity. In this context, the event will feature Narcís Cardona, Director of the 6G Joint Innovation Centre and Vice-President of the One6G Association, as well as a researcher at the iTEAM Research Institute at the Polytechnic University of Valencia.

His presentation, entitled ‘Spain at the forefront of 6G technology’, will offer a strategic overview of the role Spain is playing in shaping this new technology, at a crucial juncture when 6G is beginning to take shape ahead of its future standardisation.

A decisive moment for technological leadership

The development of 6G is currently at a critical stage: still being defined, but with the first steps towards international standardisation processes. In this context, Spain has managed to position itself as a key player thanks to significant public investment, particularly through the Next Generation funds and their channelling into programmes such as UNICO.

This momentum has enabled the creation of an advanced research and innovation ecosystem, with the deployment of laboratories, testbeds and experimental platforms working on key technologies such as AI-native networking, integrated sensing and communications (ISAC), extended reality (XR), advanced security, non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and the convergence of optical and wireless networks.

From investment to implementation: the 6G challenge in Spain

Beyond the deployment of capabilities, the real challenge now facing the Spanish ecosystem is its effective exploitation. Narcís Cardona will discuss how the focus must shift towards generating measurable results, technology transfer to the productive sector and the consolidation of real-world use cases that will position Spain on the European 6G map.

It is against this backdrop that IMPACT6G has emerged, an initiative created to coordinate public capabilities at national level and develop a joint proposal to strengthen Spain’s presence in Europe. This collaborative approach aims to maximise the impact of investments made and enhance competitiveness in future European programmes.

Narcís Cardona during his participation in the eighth edition of the 5G Forum held in May 2025.

Windows of opportunity on the global stage

From the international perspective of the One6G Association, the presentation will also analyse where the main opportunities for influence in the development of 6G are emerging. In a highly competitive environment, the ability to contribute to standards, lead European pilots and develop demonstrators will be key to gaining technological relevance.

With the UNICO programmes entering their final phase, Spain faces a strategic opportunity: to transform the investment made into tangible leadership. To this end, coordination between stakeholders, the alignment of efforts and the identification of areas where the country can play a distinctive role within the European ecosystem will be essential.

The 5G Forum, a showcase for the future of connectivity

Narcís Cardona’s participation reinforces the 5G Forum’s positioning as a space not only for analysing the present state of telecommunications, but also for anticipating the key trends of the future. Seville is thus establishing itself as a meeting point to discuss the next steps in connectivity, at a time when 6G is beginning to take shape and define the new technological paradigm for the coming decade.

The 5G Forum will combine two in-person sessions on 12 and 13 May at the Cartuja Auditorium —managed by Yventu— at Sevilla TechPark, with two further virtual sessions on 14 and 15 May, bringing together the key players in the technology ecosystem.

All conferences from the 5G Forum will be available to watch on-demand via The Observatory, the digital platform of Medina Media Events, where each conferencewill be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, free of charge.

The ninth edition of the 5G Forum is organised by Medina Media Events and supported by Orange, Telefónica, Vodafone, Huawei, Netmetrix, the Regional Government of Castile and León, Ayscom, Wavecontrol/Viavi, Minsait by Indra Group, Teltronic, Axión, Gradiant, Mavenir, HPE, Manage Engine, Asteo, the University of Málaga, Nokia, Italtel, Gsertel, Neutroon, Templus, IplusF, Hispasat, Rohde & Schwarz, Circet, Sapec, Digital Innovation Hub Industry 4.0 / ITCL, Boldyn, Ethon Shield, Evolvers, Grupo Ximenez and Secmotic.