6G Network Features

A decade ago, the keyword “Beyond 4G (B4G)” was coined to refer to the need to advance the development of 4G beyond the LTE standard. At the time, it was unclear what 5G might entail, and only pre-standard R&D level prototypes were in the works. The phrase B4G went around for a while, referring to what might be possible and potentially useful beyond 4G. Ironically, the LTE standard is still evolving, and some aspects will be used in 5G.

Like B4G, Beyond 5G (B5G) is seen as a path to 6G technologies that will transform 5G capabilities and applications. Several private wireless implementations of fifth-generation networks, including LTE, 5G, and edge computing for enterprise and industrial customers, have helped lay the foundation for 6G. While it is still early times for 5G wireless technology, top industry players are still busy working on it. Only a few of them have started working on its successor. Since 5G is still in the evolving phase and has enough capability to support the Internet of Everything (IOE) ecosystem, it is too early to define the features of any technology beyond 5G (B5G).

However, to be the successor of the existing powerful 5G ecosystem, a more disruptive contender i.e. 6G will be required, whose design is naturally tailored to the performance requirements of Internet of Everything (IOE) applications and their accompanying technological trends. We believe that 6G technology will be driven through the confluence of past trends such as density, higher rates, and emerging trends, including new services such as: ● AI unified communications ● Tactile Internet ● Higher energy efficiency ● Reduced backhaul and access network congestion ● Enhanced data security

6G communication systems are expected to be characterized by the following types of KPI associated services: ● ubiquitous mobile ultra-broadband (UMUB) ● Ultra-high-speed with low-latency communications (UHSLLC) ● Massive machine-type communications (MMTC) ● Ultra-high data density (UHDD) Compared to EMBB in 5G, it is expected that 6G will include ubiquitous services, i.e. UMUB. Ultra-reliable low-latency communications, which is a key 5G feature, will again be an essential driver in 6G communications, providing UHSLLC by adding features such as end-to-end delays of less than 1 ms, over 99.99999% reliability, and 1 Tbps peak data rates. It is still an early stage to formally define 6G, and any such discussions are more or less speculation. Still, there is no doubt that 6G will take form while building on the 5G vision.

6G Network Features

1. Connected Intelligence: Compared with the previous generation of wireless communication systems, 6G will be innovatively more transformational, and update the wireless progress from “connected devices/things” to “connected intelligence”. AI will be introduced into each stage of communication activity, as well as radio resource management. The ubiquitous introduction of AI will create a new paradigm of 6G communication systems. Therefore, unlike 5G, the ultra-dense complex network scenarios of 6G should require a complete AI system, allowing intelligent communication devices to acquire and perform the resource allocation process.

2. Satellite Integrated N/W: To provide always-on broadband global mobile connectivity, terrestrial and satellite systems are expected to be integrated to achieve the goal of 6G. Integrating all networks (terrestrial, satellite, and airborne N/W) into a single wireless system will be crucial for 6G. Only this integration can achieve the demand for ubiquitous mobile ultra-broadband (UMUB) services.

3. Small-cell N/W: The small-cell network idea is introduced to improve the received signal quality as a result of throughput, energy efficiency, and spectral efficiency enhancement in cellular systems. As a result, small cell networks are an essential feature of 5G and beyond (5G) communication technologies. Therefore, 6G communication systems will also adopt this network feature.

4. Ultra-dense heterogeneous N/W: Ultra-dense heterogeneous networks will be another important feature of 6G. Multi-tier networks consisting of heterogeneous N/W will improve the overall QoS and reduce costs.

5. High-capacity backbone: Backbone connectivity in 6G needs to be characterized by high-capacity backhaul networks to support a significant volume of 6G data traffic. High-speed optical fiber and free-space optics (FSO) systems are potential solutions to this problem.

6. Software and Virtualization: Software and virtualization will continue to be two critical features that form the basis of the design process in 5G networks to ensure flexibility, reconfigurability, and programmability.

Read Also:

1. Key Challenges Of 6G Technology
2. 6G Challenges and Enabling Technologies
3. New Perspectives On 6G Use Cases
4. On The Road To 6G
5. Advantages Of 6G Networks
6. Key Aspects And Diverse Use Cases Of 6G
7. A Journey Of Mobile Networks: From 1G To 6G
8. Introduction About 6G Networks