Credit: LIST
On Tuesday 21 October 2025, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) reported that the Horizon Europe project COMMECT has successfully bridged connectivity gaps in some of the most remote areas across and beyond Europe.
The project, coordinated by LIST, aimed to enable reliable network coverage and develop AI-based tools supporting the digitalisation of rural regions.
According to LIST, COMMECT integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks with low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, supported by edge computing and network automation. Once connectivity was established, several digital tools, from precision agriculture to smart forestry, were tested in five Living Labs across Europe.
In Luxembourg, the project’s pilot sites applied digital tools in various sectors: connected sensors improved vineyard management; In Norway, a private 5G network enabled drone-based forest monitoring; in Denmark, Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems enhanced livestock traceability; in Türkiye, predictive models optimised; and in Serbia, olive farming and improved connectivity supported sustainable agriculture.
The project features a Decision Support Tool (DST) based on a Large Language Model (LLM) trained with data from the Living Labs. This AI-powered system is designed to provide recommendations for policymakers, businesses and communities to identify suitable connectivity solutions.
The European Commission selected the DST as a finalist for the 2024 Innovation Radar Prize in the Next-Gen Tech category, recognising its potential for commercialisation.
“COMMECT has shown that digitalisation is not just about technology, it is about making connectivity accessible, reliable and tailored to end-user needs,” said Maria Rita Palattella, researcher at LIST and project coordinator. “The pilots deployed within the Living Labs proved that these solutions are feasible, scalable and capable of delivering real benefits for rural communities.”
COMMECT (Bridging the Digital Divide and Addressing the Needs of Rural Communities with Cost-Effective and Environmentally Friendly Connectivity Solutions) is a Horizon Europe project coordinated by LIST and involves eighteen partners from Europe and beyond. The project ran from 2022 to 2025.
