On Tuesday 9 December 2025, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) provided an update on its involvement in the European 6G-TWIN communications network project.
According to LIST, the project is currently at the halfway point and has recently unveiled major advances in the creation of network digital twins — intelligent virtual replicas that make future 6G networks observable, predictable and self-optimising. The first results of the project are now available to the public.
LIST described the vision behind 6G-TWIN as a network that can learn from its own behaviour, predict failures before they happen and automatically adjust to save energy — all without human intervention. The €4 million project is funded by the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking of the European Union, under the Horizon Europe programme.
Led by LIST and bringing together eleven partners from seven countries, 6G-TWIN is pioneering the use of Network Digital Twins — making it fully integrated into the next generation of mobile networks, to serve more and more demanding applications and services. These twins act as safe testing environments where engineers and artificial intelligence (AI) systems can explore “what-if” scenarios, optimise performance and design greener, more reliable 6G infrastructures.
The project’s members have defined a multi-layered architecture where data from every part of the network — antennas, transport links, servers and user devices — can feed into a continuously updated digital twin. The digital twin uses this live information to create models that AI can analyse. These models help predict problems such as network congestion, energy waste or coverage gaps — and even suggest automatic fixes before issues happen.
LIST noted that after eighteen months of research, the consortium had reached a major milestone: the core functional architecture and pipelines of the project’s ecosystem are now complete and ready to be shared openly with industry, researchers and the public.
LIST highlighted that two concrete demonstrators are now under preparation to prove the concept.
The first is remote-controlled driving, where a car is being driven from afar. The digital twin helps keep the connection stable and predicts problems before they happen. Engineers can also test different scenarios — like varying traffic, unexpected detours or network glitches — to see how the system reacts and fine-tune configurations before anything touches the real system.
The second relates to energy-efficient network management, showing how predictive models can automatically switch off or reconfigure base stations to reduce power consumption without affecting service. It watches how busy different parts of the network are and can automatically put quiet areas into “low-power mode”, then bring them back to full speed when more people come online. And it does all this without ever interrupting calls or emergency services.
LIST said these tests combined the expertise and tools of all the project partners from IMEC’s AI algorithms and Accelleran’s O-RAN expertise to VIAVI’s advanced testing and monitoring tools. Prototypes are already being installed in labs in Luxembourg and Belgium, with live demonstrations planned for 2026.
LIST emphasised that 6G-TWIN’s mid-term results marked a significant step toward Europe’s 6G ambitions. By combining digital twins, AI and open architectures, the project contributes to a new paradigm of “zero-touch” networks — systems that can manage themselves dynamically across radio, core and cloud domains.
The potential impact of such systems extends far beyond telecommunications. Network digital twins could eventually support smart cities, autonomous mobility, industrial automation and climate-neutral data centres — all key priorities for the European Green Deal and Digital Decade.
LIST said that as the project moves into its second half, the focus will turn to testing, validation and real-world demonstrations. The consortium’s next goal is to prove that the technology can scale and bring measurable gains in reliability, latency and energy efficiency. By 2026, the project will deliver two fully validated demonstrators, open technical frameworks and business roadmaps for the telecom industry.
Further information can be found at https://6g-twin.eu.
