5G IA turns attention to 6G

With the global 5G rollout now well underway, the 5G Infrastructure Association has now started planning for the next generation of mobile technology.

The association has published a white paper entitled ‘European Vision for the 6G Network ecosystem’, edited by its vision and societal challenges work group.

The white paper covers key areas related to 6G research from a technical, societal, policy and business perspective. It predicts that 6G will bring in a new era in which billions of things, humans, connected vehicles, robots and drones will generate zettabytes of digital information.

The technology is forecast to play a key role in the evolution of the society towards the 2030s, according to the paper. In addition, 6G will support the European Green Deal’s objective of reaching climate neutrality for Europe by 2050, and contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, it adds.

Key features of 6G will include intelligent connected management and control functions, programmability, integrated sensing and communication, reduction of energy footprint, trustworthy infrastructure, scalability and affordability, according to 5G IA.

“At this critical time, as research beyond 5G is starting around the world, this white paper is an important document on the road to 6G. This document encapsulates the European view on what 6G should be and indicates the direction of how we can get there,” the association’s Chairman, Dr Colin Willcock, said.

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