The Crucial Role of Global Alignment in Unleashing the Power of the 6G Network

The Significance of Global Collaboration in Building Towards a 6G World

The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN) emphasizes the importance of international cooperation in fortifying digital infrastructure and advancing towards the era of 6G mobile networks.

Although the potential of 5G is still unfolding, discussions surrounding 6G are steadily advancing. Positioned as the next phase in communication networks for the 2030s, 3GPP – the global standards organization for mobile networks – is actively shaping this future through its latest standardization efforts. 3GPP’s Release 20 is considered a significant milestone that not only finalizes enhancements for 5G-Advanced but also lays the groundwork for a future 6G network.

As 3GPP completes Stage 1 of its Release 20 in 2025, focusing on service requirements for early 6G exploration, and progresses towards Stage 2 in 2026, the mobile industry stands at a crucial juncture in defining the next generation of mobile communications.

The industry is now shifting its focus towards providing enhanced user value beyond what 5G offers, simplifying networks, ensuring sustainability, and facilitating a seamless transition from 5G to 6G. This transition also involves addressing emerging challenges such as the impact of AI advancements, quantum safety, and resilience – key topics in 6G standardization.

What is the Global Vision for 6G?

Objectives of Mobile Operators for 6G

Key industry players, including mobile network operators (MNOs), vendors, and academia, must align to chart a unified path forward for the next generation of mobile connectivity.

Leading global mobile operators advocate for the continuous evolution of the mobile industry and its technologies to benefit end users, operators, and the overall ecosystem.

6G is expected to build upon the features and capabilities introduced by 5G, learning from past mistakes. The migration from 5G should be approached with minimized complexity, enabling operators to deploy rapidly and ensure a seamless user experience. This includes providing native voice support from the outset, evolving voice services, and enriching services in a sustainable manner.

6G aims to deliver value through new services without necessitating hardware upgrades, supporting a robust ecosystem and meeting the demands of an ICT-reliant society.

While new radio equipment is needed for deployments in new frequency bands, the evolution towards 6G in existing bands should primarily occur through software upgrades to ensure a smooth transition. New 6G Radio Access Technology (RAT) must demonstrate significant performance benefits compared to existing standards.

Key Drivers of 6G Evolution

Technological advancements must be evaluated based on their benefits and associated impacts. The mobile industry needs to enhance operational efficiency, simplify network operations, and enable network exposure to develop market-aligned services. Modularity, flexibility, and openness are highlighted as essential drivers.

Investments in network upgrades should be justified by Return on Investment (ROI) and lead to tangible customer value. Efficiency improvements, particularly in spectrum utilization and energy consumption, should be prioritized.

Requirements for Future Networks

Future communication networks should be environmentally friendly, economically sustainable, trustworthy, and capable of supporting innovative services aligned with realistic needs. Sustainability efforts should focus on minimizing environmental impact, ensuring economic viability, and upholding social responsibility.

Trustworthiness is crucial, with security and privacy embedded in the 6G architecture to protect against threats. Innovative services should drive the evolution, with new radio interfaces offering significant benefits over existing standards and considering practical deployment issues.

6G requirements include backward compatibility with 5G, connectivity, AI integration, sensing capabilities, cost implications, and environmental considerations. The network should support AI applications and evolve towards a more efficient and capable infrastructure.

The Role of AI in 6G

AI will play a pivotal role in shaping the 6G era, both in optimizing network operations and designing networks to support AI workloads. Simplification is key for 6G success, learning from the architectural complexities that hindered 5G deployment.

Importance of Global Alignment

Global harmonization of 6G standards is crucial for addressing societal goals and ensuring sustainable, innovative mobile network infrastructure. NGMN plays a key role in aligning the industry towards this goal, providing guidance and driving unity among operators and stakeholders.

This article references the NGMN publication ‘6G Key Messages – An Operator View’ developed by the NGMN Alliance Board.

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