Communication networks are essential for the Netherlands BV to meet major societal challenges in areas such as sustainability, healthcare, shrinking labour population and safety. This applies to all sectors. 5G has only just been rolled out or preparations are already being made for the next generation: 6G (available around 2030). The new generations not only enable very fast mobile internet, it also offers opportunities for the emergence of new digital services and applications. Different technologies will increasingly intertwine in future networks. The further development of new communication techniques falls under the heading of Future Network Services (FNS), also known as 'Smart Network Services' in Europe. Here, digital services merge with infrastructure and cloud, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence and telecom networks come together, creating new applications for both government and business.
Key threats
Future Network Services (FNS) thus offer great opportunities, but there is a lurking danger: networking and telecoms knowledge is in danger of falling behind in the Netherlands, in view of the rapid global developments in this field. Because of high societal dependence on networks, the role of digitalisation in sustainability and the impact of geopolitical shifts on digital sovereignty, the development of FNS is going to be different from that of previous generations of network technology. What is clear is that the development of the next generation of communication networks will require more national and European cooperation. To arrive at a joint approach, a group of companies, technical universities and knowledge institutions aims to form a public-private consortium with a number of sectors, ICT partners and network industry.
Position Paper FNS
With support from dutch digital delta (topsector ICT), TNO has written the paper Communication networks for and through the Netherlands with several technical universities and telecoms organisations, calling for more cooperation. Curious about the call and the plan of action?
Read the position paper (NL)Examples of new applications
Expectations of innovations with and within networks to address major societal challenges in energy, agriculture, healthcare, education, mobility and industry are high. Examples include good traffic flow in autonomous transport, improving care at a distance, real-time control of decentralised energy generation and storage, eXtended Reality in industry, combining real and virtual worlds and human-machine interactions using wearables, for instance. Applications that can lead to new activity and economic growth in the Netherlands and abroad.