Trust in 6G will not be built by any single organisation, standard, or piece of legislation. It will be the product of thousands of decisions made by engineers, policymakers, procurement teams, and regulators, often in isolation from one another, often under commercial and time pressure. The question this event sets out to answer is a deceptively simple one: when something goes wrong, who is responsible?
The first event in this series examined the technical and policy architecture of 6G security. This follow-up shifts the lens to accountability, governance, and the human and institutional factors that will determine whether the ambitions set out in frameworks like the GCOT principles are ever actually realised.
What to expect
Two presentations and a panel discussion that picks up where the first event left off, exploring the dimensions of 6G trust that do not sit neatly inside a standards document:
- Supply chain accountability: as 6G networks become more disaggregated and multi-vendor, how do operators maintain meaningful oversight of security across a sprawling ecosystem of suppliers, cloud platforms, and AI model providers
- The AI governance gap: with agentic AI increasingly embedded in network management, who is liable when an autonomous system makes a decision that causes harm, and what does meaningful human oversight actually look like
- Quantum readiness in practice: beyond the principle of post-quantum cryptography from day one, what does the transition actually require from UK operators, vendors, and regulators, and who is co-ordinating it
- Privacy as a trust signal: as 6G sensing capabilities generate unprecedented volumes of data about people and places, how do we ensure that user privacy is treated as a foundation of commercial trust, not a compliance afterthought
- The assurance gap: as AI systems make spectrum and network decisions at millisecond timescales, how do operators prove those decisions remain safe, fair, and compliant, and what new approaches to auditability and explainability does that require from both industry and regulators
Why it matters now
The GCOT principles set out what a trustworthy 6G network should look like. What they cannot do is guarantee that the organisations responsible for building and operating those networks are equipped, incentivised, and held accountable to deliver on them. The UK has a strong foundation, with the Telecommunications Security Act, the Open Networks Programme, and active engagement in international standards. But frameworks and legislation only create the conditions for trust. The harder work is cultural, institutional, and commercial.
Recent industry workshops have surfaced a telling dynamic. The most animated debates are no longer about whether to deploy AI in network management, but about how to govern systems that evolve continuously and whose decisions can be hardest to explain precisely when it matters most.
Who should attend
This event is designed for professionals across the UK technology and policy ecosystem who are grappling with the governance and accountability dimensions of 6G, including:
- Technology and telecoms companies navigating supply chain security, AI governance, and vendor diversity
- Legal, compliance, and risk professionals working within or alongside network operators
- Policymakers and regulators working on telecoms security, data protection, and critical infrastructure oversight
- Public sector and emergency services technology leaders responsible for mission-critical connectivity
- Academics and researchers working on the intersection of technology governance, privacy, and national security
No deep technical background is required. This event is deliberately designed to surface the organisational, regulatory, and strategic questions that technical frameworks alone cannot answer.
Part of techUK's Advanced Connectivity Technologies programme
This event is the second in a series developed through techUK's Advanced Connectivity Technologies programme, which brings together many of the UK's most innovative technology companies to convene the sector, champion best practice, and translate industry needs into tangible action from government. It sits within the programme's 2026 focus on secure-by-design broadband and reflects techUK's commitment to ensuring the UK is not just present in the global 6G debate, but shaping it.
Find out more about our Advanced Connectivity Technologies programme here.
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techUK brings together government, the regulator, telecom companies and stakeholders to help the UK maximise the benefits of adopting advanced communications services. We ensure our members have a clear understanding of market developments, customer requirements, and government priorities. Visit the programme page here.
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Meet the team
Tales Gaspar
Programme Manager, UK SPF and Satellite, techUK
Tales has a background in law and economics, with previous experience in the regulation of new technologies and infrastructure.
In the UK and Europe, he offered consultancy on intellectual property rights of cellular and IoT technologies and on the regulatory procedures at the ITU as a Global Fellow at the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI).
Tales has an LL.M in Law and Business by the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) and an MSc in Regulation at the London School of Economics, with a specialization in Government and Law.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- +44 (0) 0207 331 2000
- Website:
- www.techUK.org
- LinkedIn:
- www.linkedin.com/in/talesngaspar
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Sophie Greaves
Associate Director, Digital Infrastructure, techUK
Sophie Greaves is Associate Director for Digital Infrastructure at techUK, overseeing the Telecoms Programme, the Data Centres Programme, and the UK Spectrum Policy Forum.
Sophie leads our work across telecoms networks, security and resilience, supply chain diversification, advanced communications technologies, spectrum policy, and data centres - bringing these areas together into a dedicated Digital Infrastructure unit. She was previously Head of Telecoms and Spectrum Policy.
Prior to joining techUK, Sophie completed a masters in Film Studies at University College London; her dissertation examined US telecoms policy relating to net neutrality and content distribution.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 0207 331 2038
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiegreaves/,https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiegreaves/
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Josh Turpin
Programme Manager, Telecoms and Net Zero, techUK
Josh joined techUK as a Programme Manager for Telecoms and Net Zero in August 2024.
In this role, working jointly across the techUK Telecoms and Climate Programmes, Josh is responsible for leading on telecoms infrastructure deployment and uptake and supporting innovation opportunities, as well as looking at how the tech sector can be further utilised in the UK’s decarbonisation efforts.
Prior to joining techUK, Josh’s background was in public affairs and communications, working for organisations across a diverse portfolio of sectors including defence, telecoms and infrastructure; aiding clients through stakeholder engagement, crisis communications, media outreach as well as secretariat duties.
Outside of work, Josh has a keen interest in music, painting and sailing.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 020 7331 2038
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-turpin/
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