The ETHER project convened for its bi-annual General Assembly on November 28-29, 2024, hosted at the i2CAT facilities in Barcelona. This event, the first in-person meeting since the project’s online mid-term review, brought together 24 participants from 11 consortium partners to reflect on achievements so far and to chart the course for the second term of the project.
Konstantinos Ntontin, the project coordinator from the University of Luxembourg, highlighted the progress made during the project’s first half. Among the key accomplishments was the finalization of the ETHER architecture, which facilitates the seamless integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. This achievement provides the foundation for a unified communication network that combines terrestrial infrastructure with non-terrestrial components, such as high-altitude platforms and satellites.
ETHER has also been investing in its standardisation efforts, ensuring that the project’s innovations are aligned with industry standards. By actively contributing to standardization bodies, the consortium aims to maximize the adoption and impact of the ETHER architecture within the telecommunications sector.
The General Assembly provided a timely platform for consortium partners to present the progress of their work package tasks and the status of the use cases. These presentations underscored the collaborative efforts and cross-disciplinary expertise driving the project forward. They also allowed partners to align their contributions and strategies, ensuring the effective implementation of ETHER’s objectives.
As the project transitions into its second term, the focus remains on consolidating the roadmap to maximize the societal and economic impact of the ETHER architecture. Partners emphasized the importance of leveraging the significant advancements achieved thus far to deliver advanced solutions for integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.
The consortium extends its heartfelt thanks to i2CAT for organizing a successful and productive meeting. Their excellent hospitality created the perfect environment for fruitful discussions and collaborative planning for the months ahead.
