The 2nd Workshop on Sustainable and Sustainability-Enabling 6G  will be held in December 2026, in Macau, China, in conjunction with the IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM)

Scope of the Workshop

6G versus sustainability: does it risk to be mostly contributing to the problem? Or can it be a driver for solutions? As a fact 6G should be both a potential enabler of sustainability in other sectors (6G for Sustainability), and a sustainable technology itself (Sustainable 6G). To achieve this objective, sustainability must be integrated from the very beginning of the design phase and across the full life cycle of 6G products and services. This workshop advocates for a broad approach to sustainability that goes beyond energy efficiency, considering environmental, social and economic sustainability. The scope of the workshop encompasses both foundational research and applied innovations across diverse verticals such as smart agriculture, energy systems, healthcare, and mobility. It invites contributions that demonstrate how 6G can be leveraged to reduce environmental footprint, enhance digital inclusion, and foster resilient infrastructures, but also show innovations that can make 6G a sustainable technology. Emphasis will be placed on interdisciplinary collaborations that integrate technological advancements with ethical, regulatory, and socio-economic aspects. This workshop serves as a platform to discuss innovative approaches, share best practices, and promote strategies that align with broader visions of sustainability, across the three pillars and from different world region perspectives.

Suggested topics

TOPICS OF INTERESTS include but are not limited to:

• Environmental sustainability 
  • Sustainable ICT metrics and indicators for 6G
  • Climate-resilient network design
  • Environmental impact of computing from design to usage and orchestration
• Social sustainability 
  • Digital inclusion and accessibility in 6G
  • Ethical AI and data governance in 6G systems
  • Human-centric design, social value creation and acceptability
  • Privacy, security, resilience, trust, and transparency in sustainable 6G applications
• Economic sustainability 
  • Business models for sustainable 6G innovation
  • Cost-benefit analysis of sustainable 6G
  • The economic incentives and regulatory frameworks for green 6G deployment
  • Total cost of ownership reduction through efficient architectural and lifecycle management
• 6G technologies & sustainability alignment 
  • Sustainable architecture and design principles for 6G networks
  • Lifecycle assessment and circular economy models for 6G infrastructure
  • Sustainability indicators, metrics, evaluation and benchmarking
  • Responsible AI in communications
  • Sustainable computing
• Application use cases with sustainability impact 
  • Smart agriculture powered by 6G: precision farming, water management
  • Sustainable energy systems: 6G-enabled smart grids, demand-response
  • e-Health and telemedicine: reducing first order effects of healthcare through 6G
  • Mobility and transport: 6G for low-emission logistics and autonomous systems
  • Interconnection between 6G and verticals

Important Dates:

Papers submission deadline: 12 August 2026
Paper Acceptance Notification: 20 September 2026
Camera Ready: 30 September 2026

Workshop Co-Chairs

Mattia Merluzzi, CEA-Leti.
Albert Banchs, University Carlos III of Madrid
Liesbet Van der Perre, KU Leuven
Ali Balador, Ericsson Research
Anastasius Gavras, Eurescom
Bahare M. Khorsandi, Nokia Germany
Christoph Schmelz, Nokia Germany
Christoph Lipps, German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence 
Stefan Wendt, Orange Labs