Summary of Recent 3GPP SA1 IMT-2030 Use Case Workshop
Last month, 3GPP held its Stage 1 Workshop on IMT-2030 Use Cases in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. A range of vertical organisations and regional research alliances tasked with driving technological progress towards 6G were invited to present their views on system design priorities, enabling technologies and target use cases.
We had the opportunity and honor to participate in this workshop in person. In this blog post, we would like to provide an overview of the three-day workshop, highlighting the fruitful discussions and the vision for the 6G technology platform. 6G is the next generation of cellular, built on the foundation of 5G learnings and technologies. 6G will drive innovation that will enable new and enhanced use cases over the next decade.
“At Qualcomm, we’re building the future by focusing on the fundamental research needed to make 6G a reality and working closely with stakeholders across the ecosystem toward a global technology platform.”
The 3GPP SA1 workshop is full.
Workshop details
Each day, different vertical and regional organizations shared their perspectives on 6G, focusing on different goals, drivers, capabilities and use cases. Here is an overview of the three-day workshops and key presentations:
- Day 1 (May 8, 2024)The first day was dedicated to operators and verticals, with an operator panel discussion and presentations from GSMA and NGMN representing the global operator and service provider perspective. This was followed by a series of presentations from different vertical organisations exploring the potential of 6G in their specific industries, including 5GAA (Automotive), 5G-ACIA (Industrial), 5G-MAG (Multimedia), GSOA (Satellite), TCCA (Public Safety) and WBA (WLAN).
- Day 2 (May 9, 2024): The second day featured presentations from six regional research organizations/alliances: B5GPC (Japan), 6G Forum (Korea), IMT-2030 Promotion Group (China), Bharat 6G Alliance (India), 6G-SNS (Europe) and ATIS Next G Alliance (North America). These presentations highlighted regional priorities, innovations and technology wish lists for 6G.
- Day 3 (May 10, 2024)The third and final day consisted of presentations by ITU-R and 3GPP on their respective Standards Development Organization (SDO) plans for IMT-2030, followed by a final discussion to conclude the workshop.
Panel “ITU and 3GPP Synergy in 6G” with 3GPP RAN Chair Wanshi Chen.
6G Goals and Drivers
Presentations from regional research coalitions, vertical organizations, and mobile operators highlighted the most exciting opportunities that 6G brings from their perspectives. They focused on how 6G, as a single global standard, will build on the foundation of 5G wireless systems to enable societal transformation. At a high level, the key goals and drivers that the 6G Innovation Platform should achieve over the next decade and beyond are:
- Economic growth6G is poised to unlock new revenue streams and enable a multitude of new devices, services, and deployments. While it may be premature or naive to quantify its impact at this point, 6G is expected to be a key driver of sustained global economic growth and spur industry innovation and transformation.
- Technological advancesInnovation is a continuous process, but major advances in core technologies can only be effectively commercialized after a generational shift when clean sheet designs can be deployed. 6G will align ecosystem investments to deliver the next big leap in wireless technology, enabling the convergence of advanced communications, precise sensing and localization, artificial intelligence (AI), and computing technologies.
- Cost-effective: One of the early lessons learned from the rollout of 5G networks is that widespread deployment of many new technologies can be costly. Mobile operators are now looking at ways to reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) of their networks. Reducing network energy consumption can optimize operational costs, while using software-centric systems with network APIs to save on capital expenditures can help mobile operators leverage their 5G investments.
- Social Equity6G will continue to foster digital inclusion, enabling cost-effective technology to broadly provide 6G access to close the digital divide. New 6G technology will democratize access to public services such as healthcare, education and public safety, facilitating an improved quality of life.
- Environmental Sustainability: A common theme across the various global 6G visions is driving a greener future. This relates to both efficient 6G network operations (energy savings, greener deployment footprint, etc.) and more sustainable industry verticals (smart transportation, precision agriculture, etc.).
- Trust and reliabilityThe evolution of mobile phones has always emphasized the importance of security and privacy, and strived to improve reliability with each generation. 6G is expected to maintain this tradition by integrating cutting-edge technologies such as quantum-safe communications and AI-driven security.
ITU-R’s 6G Vision – IMT-2030 Capabilities and Usage Scenarios.
6G Use Cases and Features
The 6G technology platform is expected to represent a major leap forward by supporting enhanced system capabilities beyond communications. The IMT-2030 framework defined by ITU-R sets the initial vision for this progress, outlining key usage scenarios and performance metrics that will shape future wireless technology goals.
As these technologies develop, 6G is expected to bring together AI, advanced computing and system resilience, along with innovative green technologies and integrated sensing and communications (ISAC), ushering in a new era where the physical, digital and virtual worlds converge.
While different presenters introduced different use cases targeted at 6G, there were clear trends as to what the key 6G use cases will be. Below is an illustrative (i.e., non-exhaustive) list of the main use cases discussed at the workshop:
- Immersive Experience: 6G will take Extended Reality (XR) to a whole new level, enabling lightweight devices that can be deployed at the same scale as today’s smartphones. New capabilities such as digitization of multi-sensory aspects (e.g. human touch, smell, sight, taste), enhanced sensor fusion, and brain-computer interfaces will enable hyper-realistic experiences (e.g. holographic teleportation). Another focus will be on enabling the creation and delivery of live, interactive, immersive content.
- Digital Twin: Modeling physical systems in the digital domain can be used to enable new efficiencies and use cases, such as communications networks. Together with rapid advances in AI, 6G digital twins will bring a range of benefits, including enhanced security and privacy, predictive and prescriptive insights, and more.
- Smart Industry and Robotics5G establishes the technological foundation for high-performance industrial IoT (URLLC, TSN, etc.), while 6G aims to unlock the full potential of next-generation robots, including delivery robots, service robots, autonomous robots, and collaborative robots that can work alongside humans in highly integrated and automated environments.
- Fixed Wireless Access (FWA): 6G offers an opportunity to revolutionize broadband services. With new wide-area spectrum (e.g. upper mid-band) allocations, 6G will deliver increased network capacity and cost-efficiency, expanding coverage to urban, suburban and rural areas alike for greater inclusivity and connectivity.
- Next Generation Internet of Things (IoT): It is important that 6G can efficiently support low-complexity devices from the get-go. From low-power wide area (LPWA) to ambient IoT devices (i.e. powered by energy harvesting, with or without storage), 6G is expected to be used in a variety of vertical services such as healthcare, automotive, agriculture, etc.
- Connected Transportation6G brings next-generation road safety and experience opportunities. Through new 6G capabilities such as ISAC, the 5GAA consortium envisioned a next-generation network that would enable real-time environment modeling, intelligent self-driving systems, and enhanced in-car experiences.
- Important communications: 6G is tasked with taking mobile communications to the next level of reliability, dependability, and security. This is especially important for mission-critical use cases such as public safety communications. 6G should leverage learnings and deployments from 5G to enable ubiquitous coverage, and more.
- Other emerging developments and use cases: Many of these 6G use cases are expected to be delivered using seamless multi-connectivity solutions across terrestrial and non-terrestrial communications. Of course, we are still very early in the 6G technology cycle. As we stand on the cusp of these advancements, it is clear that the future holds use cases beyond what we can currently imagine.
The road to 6G involves the continued evolution of 5G advanced technologies.
What’s next?
In 3GPP, the next steps will be taken by SA WG1 to prepare a study of service requirements, followed by work in RAN and SA, with technical workshops and studies commencing in 2025.
Qualcomm Technologies’ vision for the future of wireless technology is continuous and far-reaching. The evolution of 5G Advanced is expected to lay the foundation for 6G and usher in a new era of technological advancements. There is a focus not only on wireless design enhancements, but also on integrating a broader range of technologies to enable intelligent computing everywhere. The promise of 6G includes the potential for groundbreaking developments in wireless communications, AI, computing, RF sensing and network resiliency, setting the stage for smarter and more sustainable wireless platforms of the future.
