6G guidelines outlined in paper released by NGMN

The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance has published its first 6G white paper.

The new white paper focuses on 6G drivers and vision. As a global organisation, the NGMN is set to take the lead in providing guidance for global 6G activities, and respond to the needs of end-users, societies, and mobile network operators.

In the paper, the NGMN Mobile Network Operators identify what it says are key drivers for 6G and outlines its idea of how 6G will be implemented. It looks at the future transition of networks and the enabling of differentiated services with potential new market opportunities and experience.

The paper also outlines some key challenges to be considered in a journey towards 6G and underlines the need for a unified global ecosystem and set of standards.
 
The NGMN believes that as the mobile industry and its underlying technologies change and evolve, it is important to safeguard what it says are the three fundamental needs facing the telecoms industry, and society in general, namely:

• Societal Goals: Future technologies should contribute further to the success of a number of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals such as environmental sustainability, efficient delivery of health care, reduction in poverty and inequality, improvements in public safety and privacy, support for ageing populations, and managing expanding urbanisation.
• Operational Necessities: An aim to make the planning, deployment, operations, management, and performance of the mobile operators' networks more efficient.
• Market Expectations: Satisfy customer requirements by offering new services and capabilities, supported by evolving technologies in a cost-effective manner.

The NGMN says any new technological development should be assessed with respect to its differentiation from 5G, and any improvements should be benchmarked, including pragmatic deployment scenarios, with the law of diminishing returns in mind.

It recommends that the above-described drivers are prioritised in the global research, design and development of the next generation of standards and technologies.

"6G is one of our key strategic topics. With our future vision of 6G and the related NGMN Work Programme, we are committed to setting the global footprint and providing impactful guidance to the industry in developing 6G," says NGMN chief executive, Anita Doehler.

"We enable a unique collaboration among the NGMN Partnership including operators, vendors and research organisations and external stakeholders. Going forward, the entire NGMN Alliance will work on use cases and end-to-end requirements. We invite interested industry players to join our endeavour for the benefit of the global ecosystem.

The NGMN says it has had a substantial impact on 4G and 5G development and is positioned to provide relevant guidance to the whole ecosystem throughout the 6G development cycle.

The white paper 6G Drivers and Vision is the first in a series that will be published over the coming years.