6G4Society Webinar: A conversation with the Dutch FNS 6G Ethics Board
On 25 September 2025, 6G4Society hosted the webinar titled “A Conversation with the Dutch FNS 6G Ethics Board.”
The session featured insights from Aaron van Diepen (TU Delft, FNS Ethics Board) and Katrina Petersen (Senior Research Consultant, Societal Value at Public Safety Communication Europe (PSCE), 6G4Society Project), who explored how the concept of Key Value Indicators (KVIs) can guide the ethical development of 6G.
6G4Society aims to co-create a sustainable 6G ecosystem by aligning technical innovation with societal values. This objective was central to the conversation, which examined how KVIs can bridge the current gap between engineering priorities and public expectations. As a new complement to traditional Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), KVIs introduce value-driven criteria into network development, emphasising goals such as privacy, sustainability, transparency, and community-level impact.
Exploring the Role of KVIs in 6G Development
Aaron and Katrina began by unpacking the motivation behind KVIs. While the technical community is well-versed in KPIs, metrics that track speed, latency, or bandwidth, KVIs shift the conversation toward values that matter to society.
Aaron shared how the Dutch Future Network Services (FNS) Ethics Board is working to embed ethical considerations into the architectural and policy frameworks for 6G. He noted that security, privacy, and sustainability cannot be afterthoughts; they must be built into the technical design process.
Katrina highlighted the need for KVIs to capture real-world public concerns, such as protecting personal data, encouraging open-source innovation, and supporting technologies that enhance, rather than replace, human interaction, especially at the neighbourhood or community level. She also discussed the importance of energy efficiency, particularly as 6G infrastructure expands and the number of connected devices increases.
From Policy to Practice: Harmonising KVIs Across Use Cases
A key part of the conversation focused on the challenge of harmonising KVIs across a wide range of use cases and sectors. With different projects working on everything from IoT applications to AI integration, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. However, both speakers stressed the importance of common procedures and shared understanding to ensure that KVIs remain consistent and meaningful throughout the 6G ecosystem.
Katrina and Aaron discussed how KVIs are derived from Key Values, themselves shaped by high-level policy goals and ethical standards. By translating these into measurable design principles, 6G developers and decision-makers can assess whether the technology being built truly reflects the values it claims to support.
Bridging the Five-Year Gap to 2030
With 6G expected to be operational by 2030, the next five years represent a critical opportunity. The webinar emphasised that KVIs can serve as a bridge between the rapid pace of technical innovation and the longer-term societal impact of 6G.
Rather than waiting until after deployment to evaluate public acceptance, the speakers argued for proactive co-creation. This includes engaging with citizens early, incorporating their perspectives into pilot projects, and building trust through transparency, openness, and responsiveness.
The Takeaway: Designing with Purpose
The webinar made one thing clear: value-driven design is no longer optional. As networks become smarter and more embedded in our lives, ethical considerations must be integrated from the very beginning. KVIs offer a promising pathway for aligning 6G development with societal needs and expectations, not just in theory, but in practice.
