Whether enterprises are ready for it or not, 5G has already ushered in a slew of new technologies and is pushing the technological ecosystem into the age of 6G. Regionally, it is no surprise that Du, one of the largest telecom providers in the Middle East, has started the ball rolling on a plan to launch the 6G network by 2030.
Wireless technology, in its sixth generation, promises to seamlessly combine the physical, digital, and human worlds for an immersive sensory experience. 6G has underlying use cases that will necessitate enhanced capacity, high data rates, and low latency to meet stringent bidirectional reliability requirements across countless devices with near-zero response time to enable network and user experiences—with a focus on the following areas: Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML); spectrum bands; a network capable of spatial sensing; extreme connectivity; new network architectures and security and trust.
However, on the route to 6G, there is 5G Advanced, which is critical for moving to 6G in the coming decade. To address key technical hurdles, the industry will need to adopt more standards. To meet the more stringent end-to-end latency, jitter, and synchronisation requirements of a wide range of potential applications, such as remote medicine and telesurgery, mixed reality, five-sense networks with fully tactile haptics for immersive gaming, smart cities, and time-engineered services, extensive planning will be required. Let’s consider the metaverse as an example.
The metaverse: Uniting the digital and physical worlds
With 6G, the metaverse — a digital world that will embrace interoperability for digital activities such as training, system testing, and entertainment like worldwide gaming and concerts — is predicted to advance. Imagine having your own metaverse representative icon, connecting with a select group of friends from all over the world to attend a concert by your favorite musician: a fantastic, shared experience available from the comfort of your location, with no need to travel.
Carriers are already collaborating with metaverse platform suppliers to develop services such as stores, training, and device testing. Carriers’ contributions to the metaverse will extend beyond connection to enable edge services like network slicing and the formation of partnerships for effective business outcomes. According to research, by 2027, the metaverse would account for 70% of yearly media traffic growth.
Paving the way to 6G
The commercial rollout of 6G is expected in 2030. The deployment of 5G Advanced networks is expected to begin during the next three to five years. When it becomes available, 5G Advanced is projected to pave the way for enhanced wireless capabilities, expanding connection and introducing a slew of unique, game-changing services for enterprise customers.
This upgraded version of 5G will improve basic radio and system performance while also extending mobile broadband to new sorts of devices, enabling significant new use cases. 5G Advanced will be able to adapt to its environment by introducing greater intelligence into the network via ML and AI, supporting immersive extended reality (XR) experiences; edge computing applications; holographic communications; and exciting new Internet of Things (IoT) innovations related to smarter manufacturing, farming, and health-related services, to name a few.
Service assurance for next-generation networks
Assuring the next generation of wireless services would necessitate a high level of automation. This type of automation will be required for anything from troubleshooting misconfigurations to cybersecurity defense. Cloud-based AI technologies will enable operators to better grasp the fundamental cause of problems, assisting teams in preventing those problems from escalating.
Next-generation network operators will need to ensure service for service-level agreements (SLAs), mission- and business-critical services, in addition to new applications. The increased complexity of a future 6G network, as well as the increased expectations for service assurance, will entail advanced, AI-powered automation. Without such assistance, the risk of a poor client experience is much too high.
Highly scalable cloud-based monitoring systems will be critical in successfully delivering meaningful insights into the dependability and latency of tomorrow’s 6G networks, apps, and services. Therefore, enterprises must prepare their networks for the future now.
