As part of the ongoing collaboration between our institutions, we had the opportunity to spend a secondment period at Telefónica’s innovation hub in Barcelona. In this dynamic environment, research meets real-world application. The focus of this secondment was not only to deepen our understanding of current challenges in next-generation networks but also to identify concrete research intersections with Telefónica’s technical teams through a series of targeted one-to-one meetings.
Throughout the secondment, we engaged with nine Telefónica researchers, each contributing unique perspectives from areas such as network security, AI-driven orchestration, immersive technologies, and sustainable infrastructure. These focused discussions revealed multiple points of convergence between our ongoing work and Telefónica’s strategic research agenda.
Key Thematic Areas and Emerging Collaboration Paths
Through structured and exploratory dialogue, we laid the groundwork for a publication plan spanning several high-impact research domains. These include:
- Beamforming Optimization and Attacks
- Virtual Reality Rendering Optimization and VR Security
- Load Balancing and Resource Optimization in 5G
- Cloud Continuum Research Challenges
- Federated Learning with Energy Awareness
- CO₂ Emissions and Sustainable AI/Networking
- Post-Quantum Cryptography in Mobile Networks
- Practical Machine Learning Attacks
- Reinforcement Learning for Adaptive Network Management
Toward Joint Publications and Future Research
The outcomes of these dialogues are being formalized into a structured publication plan, with several co-authored articles currently in preparation. We anticipate contributions to top-tier conferences and journals in wireless communications, cybersecurity, and AI for networking.
This secondment has not only provided a platform for sharing knowledge but has also created a roadmap for sustained collaboration with Telefónica, reinforcing the value of embedding academic research within industrial ecosystems.
