Samsung Electronics has published a 6G white paper titled “AI-Native & Sustainable Communication,” detailing the latest trends in next-generation mobile communication technologies.
Following the first 6G white paper “The Next Hyper-Connected Experience for All.” in July 2020, this white paper covers the latest trends driving 6G standardization and next-generation mobile communications — including evolving market and technology needs, emerging services, key attributes of 6G and enabling technologies.
Samsung aims to integrate the latest AI technology throughout the telecommunication system and improve network quality for a future-oriented and sustainable user experience.
“We are intensifying our 6G research efforts, focusing on AI-enabled communication technologies and sustainable networks,” said Charlie Zhang, Senior Vice President of Advanced Communications Research Center (ACRC), Samsung Research. “As the telecommunication industry accelerates 6G standardization this year, Samsung will develop technologies to align with market demands.”
Market and Technology Trends Toward 6G
Mobile data traffic has surged, driven by the proliferation of AI technologies and the rise of streaming services. Now more than ever, there is a pressing need for technological advancements to manage increased data traffic and enhance user experiences in next-generation mobile communications.
Since the introduction of 5G, the telecommunications industry has been particularly focused on optimizing system operations, sustainability and user experiences. Beyond communication performance improvements such as data rates and latency, there is an urgency to reduce operating costs, enhance energy efficiency, expand service coverage and introduce innovative technologies such as AI.
Emerging Services
5G-Advanced will provide further enhanced 5G performance and incorporate AI to support new services and use cases — ultimately becoming the foundation for 6G technology.
In this white paper, some key emerging services such as immersive extended reality (XR), digital twin, massive communication, ubiquitous connectivity and fixed wireless access (FWA) are highlighted.
Immersive Extended Reality (XR): Offers truly immersive user experiences by integrating and interacting with the virtual and real worlds, attracting attention across industries such as entertainment, healthcare and science.
Digital Twin: Creates virtual replicas of physical entities — including objects, people, devices and places — using 6G technology to allow remote monitoring, problem detection and control.
Massive Communication: Simultaneously connects numerous sensors, machines, terminals and other devices to networks and supports automation and management of smart cities, homes and factories.
Ubiquitous Connectivity: Expands service areas by extending terrestrial network coverage and interworking between terrestrial and non-terrestrial network components — including satellites and high-altitude platform stations (HAPS).
Fixed Wireless Access (FWA): Allows wireless delivery of broadband services that traditionally required wired connections to become recognized as a key driver of expanding telecommunications businesses.
6G Key Attributes
In the white paper, Samsung highlighted four key attributes crucial to adapting to evolving market demands — AI-native, sustainable network, ubiquitous coverage and secure and resilient network.
AI-Native: Incorporates the latest AI technologies into communication functionalities from system design to the development, management and operation of systems for performance improvements.
Sustainable Network: Reduces operational costs and increases user satisfaction by improving the energy efficiency of both networks and terminals.
Ubiquitous Coverage: Decreases capital expenditures (CAPEX) of networks and enhances service quality by expanding communication service areas and strengthening connectivity via interconnecting terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.
Secure and Resilient Network: Ensures network security, user privacy and resilience for significant advancements in computing capabilities and AI technology for the 2030s.
6G Timeline
With the release of this white paper, Samsung solidifies its leadership in shaping the direction of 6G research and key technologies.
The telecommunications industry and standardization organizations have been researching 6G since 2020. In 2030, the 6G technology standards are expected to be finalized — following candidate technology development, evaluation and consensus-building processes. With the recent timelines from the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R)1 and 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP),2 momentum for 6G research and development is expected to intensify.
Samsung will continue to lead global standardization efforts and prepare for the 6G era while incorporating lessons learned from 5G commercialization and adapting to new market requirements.
Last November, Samsung held the Silicon Valley Future Wireless Summit and hosted an in-depth discussion with industry experts on the convergence of telecommunications and AI technologies. The company demonstrated AI-RAN technologies and Proof of Concept (PoC) results, showcasing the possibilities of AI-native technologies and garnering significant interest from major telecommunications operators.
Source: https://news.samsung.com/
