Shaping Future 6G Networks

Shaping Future 6G Networks Discover the societal and technology drivers contributing to build the next generation of wireless telecommunication networks

Shaping Future 6G Networks: Needs, Impacts, and Technologies is a holistic snapshot on the evolution of 5G technologies towards 6G. With contributions from international key players in industry and academia, the book presents the hype versus the realistic capabilities of 6G technologies, and delivers cutting-edge business and technological insights into the future wireless telecommunications landscape.

You'll learn about:



Forthcoming demand for post 5G networks, including new requirements coming from small and large businesses, manufacturing, logistics, and automotive industry
Societal implications of 6G, including digital sustainability, strategies for increasing energy efficiency, as well as future open networking ecosystems
Impacts of integrating non-terrestrial networks to build the 6G architecture
Opportunities for emerging THz radio access technologies in future integrated communications, positioning, and sensing capabilities in 6G
Design of highly modular and distributed 6G core networks driven by the ongoing RAN-Core integration and the benefits of AI/ML-based control and management
Disruptive architectural considerations influenced by the Post-Shannon Theory

The insights in Shaping Future 6G Networks will greatly benefit IT engineers and managers focused on the future of networking, as well as undergraduate and graduate engineering students focusing on the design, implementation, and management of mobile networks and applications.

Emmanuel Bertin, PhD, is a Senior Expert at Orange Innovation, France and an Adjunct Professor at Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France. His focus is on the digital transformation of networking, as well as on the associated organizational challenges.

Noel Crespi, PhD, is Professor and Head of Laboratory at the Telecom SudParis, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France. His focus is on softwarization and Artificial Intelligence.

Thomas Magedanz, PhD, is University Professor at Technische Universitat Berlin and Director of the Software-based Networks Department at Fraunhofer FOKUS in Berlin, Germany. His research focus is on software-based networking and open wireless research testbeds.

Editor Biographies xiii

List of Contributors xv

Foreword Henning Schulzrinne xix

Foreword Peter Stuckmann xxi

Foreword Akihiro Nakao xxiii

Acronyms xxv

1 Toward 6G -- Collecting the Research Visions 1
Emmanuel Bertin, Thomas Magedanz, and Noel Crespi

1.1 Time to Start Shaping 6G 1

1.2 Early Directions for Shaping 6G 2

1.3 Book Outline and Main Topics 4

2 6G Drivers for B2B Market: E2E Services and Use Cases 9
Marco Giordani, Michele Polese, Andres Laya, Emmanuel Bertin, and Michele Zorzi

2.1 Introduction 9

2.2 Relevance of the B2B market for 6G 10

2.3 Use Cases for the B2B Market 11

2.4 Conclusions 22

3 6G: The Path Toward Standardization 23
Guy Redmill and Emmanuel Bertin

3.1 Introduction 23

3.2 Standardization: A Long-Term View 24

3.3 IMTs Have Driven Multiple Approaches to Previous Mobile Generations 25

3.4 Stakeholder Ecosystem Fragmentation and Explosion 26

3.5 Shifting Sands: Will Politics Influence Future Standardization Activities? 28

3.6 Standards, the Supply Chain, and the Emergence of Open Models 30

3.7 New Operating Models 32

3.8 Research -- What Is the Industry Saying? 33

3.9 Can We Define and Deliver a New Generation of Standards by 2030? 34

3.10 Conclusion 34

4 Greening 6G: New Horizons 39
Zhisheng Niu, Sheng Zhou, and Noel Crespi

4.1 Introduction 39

4.2 Energy Spreadsheet of 6G Network and Its Energy Model 40

4.3 Greening 6G Radio Access Networks 42

4.4 Greening Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 6G Network 47

4.5 Conclusions 50

5 "Your 6G or Your Life": How Can Another G Be Sustainable? 55
Isabelle Dabadie, Marc Vautier, and Emmanuel Bertin

5.1 Introduction 55

5.2 A World in Crisis 56

5.3 A Dilemma for Service Operators 59

5.4 A Necessary Paradigm Shift 62

5.5 Summary and Prospects 64

6 Catching the 6G Wave by Using Metamaterials: A Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface Paradigm 69
Marco Di Renzo and Alexis I. Aravanis

6.1 Smart Radio Environments Empowered by Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces 69

6.2 Types of RISs, Advantages, and Limitations 72

6.3 Experimental Activities 78

6.4 RIS Research Areas and Challenges in the 6G Ecosystem 82

7 Potential of THz Broadband Systems for Joint Communication, Radar, and Sensing Applications in 6G 89
Robert Muller and Markus Landmann

8 Non-Terrestrial Networks in 6G 101

Thomas Heyn, Alexander Hofmann, Sahana Raghunandan, and Leszek Raschkowski

8.1 Introduction 101

8.2 Non-Terrestrial Networks in 5G 101

8.3 Innovations in Telecom Satellites 103

8.4 Extended Non-Terrestrial Networks in 6G 105

8.5 Research Challenges Toward 6G-NTN 107

8.6 Conclusion 114

9 Rethinking the IP Framework 117
David Zhe Luo and Noel Crespi

9.1 Introduction 117

9.2 Emerging Applications and Network Requirements 118

9.3 State of the Art 120

9.4 Next-Generation Internet Protocol Framework: Features and Capabilities 122

9.5 Flexible Addressing System Example 127

9.6 Conclusion 129

10 Computing in the Network: The Core-Edge Continuum in 6G Network 133
Marie-Jose Montpetit and Noel Crespi

10.1 Introduction 133

10.2 A Few Stops on the Road to Programmable Networks 134

10.3 Beyond Softwarization and Clouderization: The Computerization of Networks 137

10.4 Computing Everywhere: The Core-Edge Continuum 143

10.5 Making it Real: Use Cases 149

10.6 Conclusion: 6G, the Network, and Computing 158

11 An Approach to Automated Multi-domain Service Production for Future 6G Networks 167
Mohamed Boucadair, Christian Jacquenet, and Emmanuel Bertin

11.1 Introduction 167

11.2 Framework and Assumptions 170

11.3 Automating the Delivery of Multi-domain Services 175

11.4 An Example: Dynamic Enforcement of Differentiated, Multi-domain Service Traffic Forwarding Policies by Means of Service Function Chaining 181

11.5 Research Challenges 183

11.6 Conclusion 185

12 6G Access and Edge Computing -- ICDT Deep Convergence 187
Chih-Lin I, Jinri Huang, and Noel Crespi

12.1 Introduction 187

12.2 True ICT Convergence: RAN Evolution to 5G 187

12.3 Deep ICDT Convergence Toward 6G 198

12.4 Ecosystem Progress from 5G to 6G 214

12.5 Conclusion 217

13 "One Layer to Rule Them All": Data Layer-oriented 6G Networks 221
Marius Corici and Thomas Magedanz

13.1 Perspective 221

13.2 Motivation 222

13.3 Requirements 223

13.4 Benefits/Opportunities 225

13.5 Data Layer High-level Functionality 227

13.6 Instead of Conclusions 231

14 Long-term Perspectives: Machine Learning for Future Wireless Networks 235
Slawomir Stanczak, Alexander Keller, Renato L.G. Cavalcante, Nikolaus Binder, and Soma Velayutham

14.1 Introduction 235

14.2 Why Machine Learning in Communication? 236

14.3 Machine Learning in Future Wireless Networks 243

14.4 The Soul of 6G will be Machine Learning 251

14.5 Conclusion 252

15 Managing the Unmanageable: How to Control Open and Distributed 6G Networks 255
Imen Grida Ben Yahia, Zwi Altman, Joanna Balcerzak, Yosra Ben Slimen, and Emmanuel Bertin

15.1 Introduction 255

15.2 Managing Open and Distributed Radio Access Networks 256

15.3 Core Network and End-to-End Network Management 260

15.4 Trends in Machine Learning Suitable to Network Data and 6G 265

15.5 Conclusions 268

16 6G and the Post-Shannon Theory 271
Juan A. Cabrera, Holger Boche, Christian Deppe, Rafael F. Schaefer, Christian Scheunert, and Frank H. P. Fitzek

16.1 Introduction 271

16.2 Message Identification for Post-Shannon Communication 273

16.3 Resources Considered Useless Become Relevant 281

16.4 Physical Layer Service Integration 283

16.5 Other Implementations of Post-Shannon Communication 288

16.6 Conclusions: A Call to Academia and Standardization Bodies 290

Index 295