Inside the UK and Taiwan's Deepened Telecoms Cooperation
In a bid to strengthen global 6G development and cross-border innovation, Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has led a high-level delegation of government, academic and industry leaders to the EuCNC & 6G Summit 2025, Europe’s leading next-generation communications forum.
Founded in 1973, ITRI is a globally recognised R&D powerhouse known for transforming Taiwan’s labour-intensive industries into high-tech leaders.
With its strategic 2035 roadmap, ITRI focuses on smart living, sustainable environments, resilient societies and quality healthcare, placing future connectivity at the heart of industrial transformation.
Building international bridges for 6G innovation
At the Cambridge-hosted UK–Taiwan Joint Workshop on 6G and Future Networks, co-organised by UK Federated Telecoms Hubs (UK FTH) and UK Telecoms Innovation Network (UKTIN), telecommunications experts from both nations convened to explore collaboration across key technologies such as AI-native networks, Open RAN, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS).
The event highlighted the UK’s flagship research programmes, TITAN and JOINER, while leveraging Taiwan’s advanced semiconductor ecosystem and integrated ICT supply chains.
Among the participants were representatives from the BT Group, the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), MediaTek, Compal and the Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs.
“Openness has been a defining value since the 5G era,” said Pang-An Ting, Vice President of ITRI and General Director of its Information and Communications Labs.
“We continue to partner with academia, industry and research institutions to advance Open RAN and lay a strong foundation for 6G technologies.”
Ting confirmed that ITRI will deploy a pilot 6G network by 2026, with a live demonstration scheduled to showcase Taiwan’s progress.
“We warmly invite international partners to join our joint trials and contribute to validating key 6G capabilities,” he added.
Mutual commitments on next-gen networks
The workshop concluded with shared commitments to further research and collaboration on testbeds for NTN, Open RAN and AI-native architectures.
“We see immense potential in working with Taiwan on semiconductors and Open RAN. Strengthening this partnership aligns with our long-term strategic goals.”
Professor Harald Haas of the University of Cambridge highlighted the importance of field trials in transforming lab results into market-ready 6G solutions.
“There is a strong synergy between the UK’s R&D leadership and Taiwan’s supply chain excellence, which creates a foundation for meaningful success,” he said.
Taiwan’s FORMOSA-6G and testbed expansion
The Taiwanese delegation featured representatives from key ministries, universities and leading companies, including MediaTek, Compal, TMYTEK and BenQ Materials.
ITRI presented its FORMOSA-6G initiative, encompassing AI-RAN development, integrated chipsets and end-to-end test platforms. A new experimental 6G network will be launched this year at ITRI’s Hsinchu campus, acting as a hub for international telecom collaboration.
In parallel, ITRI signed several Memoranda of Understanding during the EuCNC & 6G Summit, including one with the European 6G-SENSES project and another with the Dutch applied research organisation TNO.
The agreements extend cooperation on ISAC and RIS technologies, aligning closely with emerging global standards.
Strengthening 6G through applied collaboration
Further afield, ITRI announced three additional cross-border projects, including a strategic MoU with Germany’s Fraunhofer IPT and a joint metaverse solution with YTTEK tailored to smart manufacturing—set to undergo testing on Fraunhofer’s industrial-scale platform.
For telecom operators and infrastructure providers, these developments reinforce the importance of early engagement in 6G ecosystems.
By participating in joint testbeds and leveraging advanced R&D hubs like ITRI, businesses can ensure readiness for the next wave of connectivity innovation.
As 6G transitions from concept to implementation, Taiwan’s expanding role as a global partner signals opportunities not just in hardware and platforms but in the collaborative shaping of future networks.
