Читать книгу Shaping Future 6G Networks - Группа авторов - Страница 17

During the past 30 years, the successive generations of mobile communication networks have enabled major steps toward a more digital world. Each generation has featured comprehensive cellular network architecture, including radio access technology, access and core network routing, and a set of associated services (such as authentication and access control, mobility management, data transfer, or voice and messaging services). The 2nd generation (2G) brought the first fully digital mobility solution, giving birth to the mobile phone as a portable personal device and to the rise of text messaging. The 3rd and 4th generations (3G and 4G) introduced the use of multimedia services in mobility and enabled the advent of the iPhone and all the digital industry and services relying on smartphones (e.g. mobile Internet, applications, and marketplaces). The 5th generation (5G) should accompany the emergence of a nest of communicating objects, along with new devices enabling augmented reality, for both the consumer and the enterprise market. The path is already drawn for the deployment of 5G non‐standalone (5G NSA) networks starting from 2019 (where only the radio part of 5G is deployed as a new access network) and then of standalone 5G networks (5G SA) starting from 2023 (where a new 5G core network is also deployed).

It may seem strange to start shaping the 6th generation (6G) of mobile communication networks while 5G is just starting to be deployed around the globe – given we are still witnessing a big gap between the high expectations surrounding the capabilities of new 5G networks and the functional limitations of initial 5G products and solutions. Moreover, 5G is quite different from previous mobile network generations in regard to its technological innovations, complexity, and targeted broad spectrum of applications, ranging from energy‐efficient massive Internet of Things (IoT) and massive broadband multimedia to low‐latency communication. In addition, every new network generation (including 5G) must strike a compromise between backward compatibility, disruption, innovation, and ability to enable completely new applications. This complexity takes time for the telecom industry to fully master.

In this context, should we focus on building 6G or first draw the lessons from 5G deployments and use cases? Every new network generation deserves around 10 years of research. The first generation of digital cellular network (2G) was commercially launched in 1991, followed by 3G in 2001, 4G in 2009, and 5G in 2019. Thus, now is the time to shape 6G, with a target launch in 2028–2030. Research on 6G effectively started around the globe in 2020.