Initial 6G networks are expected to be commercially launched around 2030
The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN) announced the publication of the “6G Position Statement: An Operator View”, with the main aim of guiding a course for the future of communication networks
“Our publication provides a clear statement of intent from the network operator community, that the traditional way of introducing a new technology generation must evolve,” said Arash Ashouriha, chairman of the NGMN Alliance board and SVP group technology at Deutsche Telekom. “NGMN is committed to ensuring that 6G delivers tangible benefits to end-users, simplifying network operations and ensuring sustainability, while offering compelling new experiences,” he added.
“Whatever 6G might become, it will be built on the foundations of 5G. This publication shines a light on the challenges our industry faces in delivering compelling new 6G services and capabilities for end-users,” said Luke Ibbetson, member of the NGMN Alliance board and head of group R&D at Vodafone. “Simultaneously, as we embark on this journey towards the 6G era, we are actively steering network disaggregation and an open, interoperable cloud native architecture,” he added.
NGMN also noted that the publication serves as a comprehensive guide, outlining how network operators envision the realization of a successful evolution to future 6G systems and issuing a call to the industry to embrace this transformative direction. The publication covers an operator position on such key requirements and design considerations as network simplification, absolute energy reduction, network AI transformation and predictive network management, safe and resilient infrastructure, global 6G standards, software upgrade to 6G, no intrinsic need for hardware refresh, no compromise to existing services (Voice) and access across mobile, fixed and non-terrestrial networks.
“With this ‘6G Position Statement’ we continue focusing on providing guidance and requirements to the industry in the areas of our three strategic focus topics, which build on each other. It is another valuable example of joint global MNO efforts within NGMN which will continue working on 6G E2E requirements, by collaborating with our entire Partnership for the benefits of the ecosystem and end-users”, said Anita Doehler, CEO at NGMN Alliance.
In February 2022, NGMN Alliance had released a whitepaper describing future 6G cases that will potentially emerge in the next decade.
Operators, technology suppliers and academic advisors participating in the NGMN alliance contributed their views on the potential use cases for as-yet-unstandardized 6G technology.
A total of 50 use cases had been identified, categorized into 4 classes, and mapped into 14 generic use cases. The four classes of use cases are:
-Enhanced Human Communication – including use cases that have the potential to enrich human communications, such as immersive experiences, telepresence and multi-modal interaction.
-Enhanced Machine Communication – including use cases reflecting the growth in collaborative robotics, and autonomous machines, the requirement for sensing the surrounding environment and the need for robots to communicate among themselves and with humans.
-Enabling Services – including use cases that require additional features, such as high accuracy location, mapping, environmental or body sensing data.
-Network Evolution – describing aspects related to the evolution of core technologies including AI as a service, energy efficiency and delivering ubiquitous coverage.
As-yet-unstandardized 6G systems are expected to be commercially launched by 2030, while the first phase of standardization will likely start from 2025, leading to the first 6G specification in 3GPP Release 21 by 2028.
