Through the proposal and development of three critical architectural innovations—Global Service-Based Architecture (GSBA), Zero Trust Exposure Layer (ZTL), and Continuous Compute Layer (CCL)—ORIGAMI will create unique global standards, promote the green transition, give new impetus to accessibility, and inspire innovative applications and new business models, maximizing the exploitation of AI-based Network Intelligence functions. The project will conduct eight real-world demonstrations at six experimental sites and on two large-scale international datasets from two major operators, validating its technology and research results.
“The environment proposed by ORIGAMI will streamline communication and interoperability at all levels of the network, pave the way for truly global standards, democratize access to extremely heterogeneous computing resources, and allow third parties to securely program their virtual networks in zero-trust environments,” says Dr. Javier García Rodrigo, Project Coordinator at Telefónica Digital Innovation. “This research,” Dr. García Rodrigo continues, “is probably the first in Europe to holistically address substantial barriers to the success of 6G, from limitations in the control and interoperability of virtualized infrastructure to the lack of adequate support for global operations and billing, which are becoming increasingly common in real-world scenarios.”
The project expands upon previous work such as DAEMON, led by the IMDEA Networks Institute and based on the 5G architectural model, aiming to unlock the full potential of virtualization and programmability. To achieve this, ORIGAMI will adopt a completely new approach: proposing a novel cross-plane architecture for 6G networks that supports original exposure and computing layers. Key features within this framework include support for the global operating model of vertical applications, the massive deployment of IoT, and maximizing the potential of virtualization and programmability.
Marco Fiore, Principal Investigator at the IMDEA Networks Institute for the project, highlights the institution's contribution to this scientific endeavor: "We are contributing our expertise in the design of AI-based network functions and in the programmability of the network user plane. Specifically, we will work to develop and demonstrate, in industrial-scale experimental testbeds, new machine learning models that can operate in heterogeneous user planes through efficient model design and hardware allocation. This approach will enable faster access to the capabilities of modern programmable transport domains. For network operators, our solutions will translate into greater speed, accuracy, and scalability compared to the current state of the art."
An example of technology transfer to society
: The current overall energy consumption of the telecommunications industry must be reduced, as the industry consumes between 2% and 3% of global energy. ORIGAMI will develop solutions that enable energy-efficient RAN operations, including twice the energy efficiency and a 35% reduction in energy consumption.
Another objective is to help bridge the gap between rural and urban connectivity to build more efficient mobile networks (aiming for a tenfold improvement in RAN cost efficiency, or savings of around 50% in CAPEX to support global operations).
Furthermore, as ORIGAMI contributes to developing more efficient and higher-performing mobile networks with lower latency, higher throughput, and greater reliability, many public sectors and people's daily activities will be significantly improved, as modern life depends entirely on the widespread use of mobile networks.
ORIGAMI will also help deliver better services beyond mobile networks. With the arrival of 5G and new paradigms such as network slicing, mobile networks can provide customized services to different vertical industries. In this way, many services critical to society can be digitized and substantially improved, including education, healthcare, transportation, and more.
