The ETHER project concludes its three-year Horizon Europe mission by demonstrating a unified 3D Radio Access Network that integrates terrestrial and non-terrestrial systems for future 6G services. The showcase highlights an AI-driven, zero-touch orchestration framework designed to achieve 100% coverage, 99.99999% reliability, and a 95% reduction in total cost of ownership compared to current terrestrial infrastructures. Live demonstrations will feature three key use cases: global IoT provisioning, direct handheld device access via vertical handovers, and persistent connectivity for safety-critical aviation operations. These validated solutions utilize programmable multi-layered edge computing and flexible satellite payloads to bridge the digital divide while significantly improving energy efficiency.
Keywords: non-terrestrial networks, zero-touch orchestration, energy efficiency, 3D RAN, edge computing