On June 27, 2024, the joint 6G Network Architecture Outlook Seminar was held in Shanghai, China, bringing together world-leading mobile telecommunications operators from China, Japan and South Korea to take an in-depth look at the innovative architecture of 6G networks and demonstrate constructive progress in technical cooperation.
While some Western operators have been quite slow in deploying 5G Standalone (SA) and have yet to realize the true potential of 5G, the introduction of 5G SA has enabled several leading Asian mobile operators to realize significant revenue from Mobile Broadband (MBB). These operators have been proactive in deploying 5G SA infrastructure. As a result, with the necessary resources and motivation, many of these Asian operators are eager to lead the research and drive the standardization process for 6G network architecture.
6G Core Vision
In his keynote speech, Wang Xiaoyun, chief scientist at China Mobile, suggested that a unified 6G standard would benefit the global mobile industry. Until now, operators in Japan, South Korea and China have been actively engaged in the standardization work of 3G/4G and 5G. The chief scientist suggested that operators should continue to contribute to global 6G standards and maintain a leading innovation attitude towards the 6G era.
Next, Mr. Xiaodong Duan, Deputy Director of the China Institute of Mobility, AI Agent Communication Network The whitepaper puts forward the view that with the steady development of generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) technology, network elements managed and served by mobile networks will incorporate not only human-centric and Internet of Things (IoT) devices but also “AI agents,” helping to speed up the upgrade and transformation of mobile networks.
Yoshitaka Hatanaka, manager of NTT Docomo, gave a presentation on the company’s 6G vision and architecture. Four goals for 6G were highlighted: 1) sustainable network design, 2) a network for AI, machines, and robots, 3) an “intrinsically and inherently connected” network, and 4) development of new business opportunities, such as the convergence of computing and networks and the realization of zero network outages.
Regarding 6G architecture, concerns were expressed regarding the need to reduce the number of architecture options, the need to consider the aggregation of connectivity over 5G radio access technologies (RATs) and 6G RATs to achieve higher throughput and a comprehensive evaluation of core network aggregation. Finally, NTT DoCoMo managers highlighted the need to simplify the number of network functions (NFs) for the 6G Core (6GC).
Masaaki Koga, Managing Director of KDDI, emphasized the important role of existing 5G Core (5GC) network capabilities, such as network slicing, network exposure functions, edge computing, network virtualization, and intent-driven management. Finally, he said that the All-Photonic Network (APN) has the potential to realize the convergence of connectivity and computing.
DongJin Lee, Senior R&D Architect at SK Telecom, introduced the concept that AI will play a key role in both “AI-assisted infrastructure” to reassess the value of carriers’ current infrastructure. With regard to 6G core architecture, the stepping stone requirements and evaluation focus was placed on 1) service-intensive architecture, 2) robust/disaster-resistant core, 3) in-network computing, 4) intelligent traffic management, and 5) energy-efficient infrastructure.
Tao Sun, Chief Expert at China Mobile Research Institute, introduced an overview of 6G architecture, incorporating new physical deployment, logical layer and functional view. As an evolution of 5GC, 6G new core will be deployed independently. One of the lessons learned from 5G is that “single architecture” should be the target design. This is because it is difficult to have multiple options and it is not easy to implement a “native” architecture. Undoubtedly, AI and service-based architecture (AI + SBA) should be the basis of 6G.
Depth measurement
Jake Saunders, vice president of Asia at ABI Research, led the roundtable discussion by reporting that 5G SA MBB operations in Northeast Asia are becoming a major revenue driver for Asia’s leading operators once large-scale deployments are achieved, independent of enterprise private network deployments. It is clear from these deployments that these operators are keen to remain at the forefront of 6G innovation. Three local polls were conducted to stimulate discussion and gather input from the audience of mobile operators and vendors.
- of 1st vote Of the 12 “candidate new services” for 6G, we have identified the top six: a) AI empowerment for mobile devices (including collaborative network AI inference support), b) multi-robot networking and collaboration, c) immersive human-to-human communication, d) immersive human-to-robot/digital avatar communication, e) sensing-based smart transport/autonomous vehicles, and f) digital twins of the physical world.
- of 2and Vote Of the eight new “6G technologies,” we identified four that are most favored: a) AI native core and AI agents, b) technologies enabling network computing orchestration, c) network digital twin, and d) secure/integrated data fabric.
- of Third vote We identified the top four out of eight key expectations for 6G Core: a) simplicity, b) energy efficiency and sustainability, c) greater stability, and d) innovation-driven hardware and software development processes.
Frank and open discussion
In the panel session on “6G Core Development and Promotion Plan”, four Asian telecom operators (NTT Docomo, KDDI, SK Telecom, and China Mobile) discussed the following topics: 1) Support for non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and roaming/local breakout (LBO) and their role in the early stages of 6G; 2) The complexity of the “Service-Based Architecture (SBA)/http” control plane is caused by too many NFs, so new transport protocols such as Quick UDP Internet Connection (QUIC) need to be implemented to improve the workflow; 3) Interest in AI is growing exponentially, so AI needs to be natively built into the core network; and finally, they agreed that “AI reference frameworks” should be standardized where practical.
Figure 1. ABI Research’s 5G to 6G outlook
What does it take to be successful?
Summary insights from analysts
At the end of the seminar, Jake Sanders summarized the main findings of the seminar as follows: 1) Carriers are considering different infrastructure investment profiles to maximize revenue from advanced 5G use cases. 2) Several leading carriers in Asia have demonstrated successful experience in large-scale deployment of 5G SA. 3) Building on their experience and momentum, these pioneering Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are keen to lead the innovation of global 6G new core network architectures. This innovation effort could create opportunities and benefits for the cellular ecosystem around the world even beyond 2030.
