5G deployment is still on its way, while discussions about 6G technologies and corresponding research activities have started all over the world. Now is the time to work on the enabling technologies and fundamental building blocks of the new mobile communication standard and to join the worldwide discussion on 6G use cases, functionality and key-performance indicators (KPIs). The great interest of academia and industry alike can be seen from the substantial amount of white papers and publications.
Standardization in 3GPP is about to enter the second phase of 5G with 5G Advanced, which starts in early 202218. 6G related activities are assumed to start around 2025, while the first 6G deployments can be expected for 2030. The evolution of wireless mobile communication standards from 1g to 6G is depicted . 4G brought the rise of the mobile internet while 5G is focusing on machine-to-machine communications and the Internet of Things. With 6G it is expected that humans and their needs will be at the center, once again (see “New perspectives on 6G use cases”).
An important trend in 6G is the convergence of the physical and human worlds with the digital domain. Frequently discussed use cases for 6G are digital twins, virtual and augmented reality (XR), tele-presence, tele-operation, and autonomous driving. To enable these use cases, significant increases of 10x or more in traditional KPIs such as peak data rate, reliability, latency, connection density, and localization accuracy are required from 5G to 6G. On the technical side, the following enablers are crucial to achieve the required improvements in KPIs:
Terahertz radio technologies for ultra-high data rates
Resilient networks for situationally optimized network availability
Fully integrated localization using reinforcement learning for greater accuracy
Optimized network architecture for best service quality and reliability
These enabling technologies are the essential foundation to respond to the challenges and requirements of 6G and, therefore, have to be developed in time to be ready for integration as part of the standardization as well as subsequent products. If 6G technology can fulfill its promises, it will stimulate and open up new application areas and businesses.
An intensive collaboration and exchange of concepts and designs between different domains represents a way in which a coherent 6G network development can be accelerated. Only a holistic development including access, core, transport, equipment and application domains can produce the expected results.
The Fraunhofer Lighthouse Project 6G Sentinel is addressing specific technical challenges in these directions within a pragmatic, results-oriented approach, with the aim of boosting research activities, starting in 2025, and preparing standardisation to accelerate the development and adoption of commercial 6G networks in the year 2030.
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