6G Wireless Systems

While 5G is currently being deployed around the globe, research on 6G is under way aiming at addressing the coming challenges of drastic increase of wireless data traffic and support of other usage scenarios. 6G is expected to extend 5G capabilities even further. Higher bitrates (up to Tbps) and lower latency (less than 1ms) will allow introducing new services – such as pervasive edge intelligence, ultra-massive machine-type communications, extremely reliable low-latency communications, holographic rendering and high-precision communications – and meet more stringent requirements, especially in the following dimensions: energy efficiency; intelligence; spectral efficiency; security, secrecy and privacy; affordability; and customization. Artificial intelligence approaches and techniques, such as machine learning (of which deep learning and reinforcement learning are specific examples), and machine reasoning (which includes planning, scheduling, knowledge representation and reasoning, search and optimization), are the new fundamental enablers to operate networks more efficiently, enhance the overall end user experience and provide innovative service applications. Quantum Optics Computing (QOC) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) are almost ready for industrial applications. In particular, massive Internet of Things (mIoT), Industrial IoT (IIoT), fully automated robotic platforms (which include control, perception, sensors and actuators, as well as the integration of other techniques into cyber-physical systems), vehicles and multisensory extended reality are examples of the new data-demanding applications, which will impose new performance targets and motivate 6G design and deployment.

This paper aims to provide the scientific community with a comprehensive overview of the most challenging aspects of 6G mobile networks and identify latest research on promising techniques towards the evolution to 6G on topics including, but not limited to the following:

- Vision, key drivers, new services and requirements for 6G

- System and network architectures for 6G 

- Wireless backhaul and fronthaul solutions

- Spectrum and channel modeling for 5G and towards 6G

- Energy efficiency and harvesting technologies

- Multi-level machine learning pipelines in 5G and towards 6G

- 5G and beyond towards 6G testbeds and experimentation

- Security, secrecy and privacy schemes for 5G and towards 6G

- Distributed computing for 5G and towards 6G

- Optical Quantum computing and QKD in 6G