Introduction
5G and beyond offers Network Assessment and readiness which covers the review of the capabilities of network infrastructure in meeting all the technical and business requirements that 5G technology will require: Spectrum, virtualization, transport, edge computing, AI and automation, and many others. 5G disruptive solution adoption includes: it evaluates 5G network transformations, introducing various new RAN solutions like OpenRAN, edge computing, etc.
It is the 6th generation of wireless communications networks. 6G Systems are required to design in order to meet the demands for a fully connected and intelligent digital world. 6G technology envisions Novel disruptive communication technologies, Innovative network architectures, Integrating Intelligence in the cloud. 6G technology is expected to have New spectrum, disruptive technologies, cell-less networks, disaggregation and virtualization, energy efficiency, and Artificial intelligence. 6G can support many applications like VR (Virtual reality) and AR (Augmented Reality), Holographic telepresence, eHealth, Pervasive connectivity, Industry 4.0 and robotics, unmanned mobility, etc.
6G enabling technologies include Disruptive communication technologies: 6G networks are expected to rely on the conventional spectrum (sub 6 GHz and mmwave) which will bring the potential of high frequency and also it should focus on frequency bands which are not been used till now for cellular networks like THz (Terahertz bands ) and VLC (Visible light communications). THz communications and VLC are two novel techniques that are used for 6G technology. THz communications operate between 100 GHz and 10 THz and are compared to mmwaves which will bring data rates up to hundreds of Gbps which is the main requirement of 6G. VLC has been proposed to complement RF communications with the wide adoption of LEDs.
Additional research is required to enable 6G mobile users to operate in the THz and VLC spectra including hardware requirements and various algorithms in the NLOS (Non-Line of Sight) environment. Besides the new spectrum, 6G will also transform wireless networks by using a new set of technologies which will be the key enabler of 6G technology. These technologies include: full-duplex communication stack, Novel channel estimation techniques (e.g out of band estimation and compressed sensing), sensing and network-based localization, innovative network architectures, tight integration of multiple frequencies and communication technologies and cell less architecture, 3D network architecture, disaggregation and virtualization of networking of the networking equipment, Advanced access – backhaul integration, energy harvesting strategies for low power consumption network operations. 6G technology can integrate intelligence in the network like learning techniques for data selection and feature extraction, inter-user inter-operator knowledge sharing, user-centric network architecture.
6G technology requires new IP Architecture because 6G services would require very large volumes of data e.g for holograms and holographic type communications, and time precision services in terms of latency and packet loss such as machine to machine communications and industrial control. For 6G services, the fundamentals of the IP layer need to be entirely redesigned. Many Nets are also emerging e.g satellite networks and Industrial IoT networks.
6G wireless research can disrupt the traditional cellular networking paradigms that still exist in the 5G technology by introducing the support for THz communications and visible light communications, it has proposals of cell-less architectures and aerial architectures and the use of massively distributed intelligence. It will be fully available for society in around 2030 and beyond.
Topics of Interest:
- New wireless communication systems, network deployments, and spectrum sharing
- Machine learning-based wireless systems and services
- Terahertz communications and networks
- Radar enhanced wireless systems
- New multiple antennae technologies and deployments
- Massive connectivity in communication systems
- Edge intelligence for beyond 5G networks
- Wireless big data-enhanced technologies
- Photonics and wireless integration
- Autonomous networkss
Many organizations are looking forward to giving contributions to radio access technologies beyond 5G. Topics of interest comprise new frequency bands, new multi-antenna technologies(passive and/or active), new network deployments, new waveforms, and new applications of RF signals beyond mere communications as well as the fusion of the new services. 5G mainly relies on infrastructure-centric solutions that reduce the infrastructure cost per bit and facilitate ultra-dense networks with network nodes deployed as close as possible to the end devices. 5G devices include smartphones as well as connected vehicles, machines, or robots that do not have the energy constraints of smartphones. Opportunistic networking can play an important role in future generations. Opportunistic networking was initially proposed for disconnected networks in the absence of forwarding opportunities, mobile devices would store the message and carry it until new forwarding opportunities appear.
Along with the new opportunities, there come new challenges also for the 6G network which will require development and innovative approaches to overcome all issues.
After 5G, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and telecommunications technology will continue to co-evolve in a systematic way bringing together a number of connections and human interactions, intelligence, and devices into one unit. Many of the key performance indicators of 6G will be 10 to 100 times greater than their 5G counterparts. In 6G, peak data transmission speed will reach up to 1 Tbps per user compared with the 10 Gbps speed as seen in 5G. 6G will become a complete framework of all the technologies that will connect the physical and the digital world and it will erase all the boundaries between the virtual world and the real world. 6G will become the communication fabric for all intelligent services, that allows people, robots, smart devices, and all intelligent controllers to collaborate with each other in a smart way. It will empower agents to share and communicate AI-generated intelligent messages. 6G is expected to create a network covering land, sea, air, and even space with the help of satellites and drones. Difficult terrain conditions like mountains, islands, and isolated rural areas will be covered with 6G technology. New wireless standards emerge about every decade, and 6G is expected to come into play in around 2030.
