- The 3GPP is setting out new radio and system studies for 6G
- This will lead to the first 6G specification in 2029 and commercial launches in 2030
- Ericsson and Nokia expect AI and more to be a big part of 6G
Is that a new cellular system up ahead in the distance? What has thus far been something of a mirage is poised to take a more concrete shape as standards work forges ahead.
The 3GPP started comprehensive studies on 6G radio and system architecture at its technical specification group (TSG) meeting in Prague last week. The studies are expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2027, which will lead to select detailed technology elements for the 6G normative specifications.
These specifications will form part of the 3GPP Release 21, so that the first 6G standard can be finalized in 2029 and pave the way for commercial 6G networks in 2030. However, given what happened with 4G and 5G, you can be sure that at least a few operators will try to jump the gun.
Following the 3GPP meeting, both Nokia and Ericsson published blogs detailing what we might expect to be eventually included in the 6G specification. Here's a rundown of their predictions.
Spectrum sharing
Nokia noted that while 6G will require large amounts of spectrum for deployments, airwaves are a precious commodity in short supply. Thus, 5G to 6G multi-radio access technology (RAT) spectrum sharing (or MRSS when you put it all together) is expected to be one of the big parts of early 6G rollouts. This technology would allow spectrum to be shared between 5G and 6G rather than entirely as has been done for previous generational changes.
“The use of MRSS looks promising as 5G design (unlike LTE design) is well suited for sharing spectrum with 6G, in addition to enabling the support of new frequency bands with larger bandwidth using 6G," the Finnish vendor said in the blog.
Techniques like dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) already exist in the 4G/5G world, but Nokia noted 5G-6G MRSS is expected to be much more efficient in terms of performance.
"MRSS performance will not be limited by interference and overheads imposed by LTE common reference signals (CRS) in LTE, and 5G-6G MRSS can leverage the forward compatible 5G physical layer flexibility for efficient sharing," it said.
Ericsson similarly said it expects MRSS to play a key role in the transition from 5G to 6G.
O-RAN o'clock
Will open RAN become the de facto standard in a 6G world? Ericsson seems to think so, arguing the 6G RAN will include a set of open interfaces to support a competitive commercial ecosystem."
Ericsson said that the key open interfaces will include the interface between the 6G RAN and the core network and the the 6G base station to 6G base station interface among other interfaces,
AI
Both vendors expect that AI and machine learning will play a large part in the 6G standard.
“6G is expected to address the AI model management, data collection, inference and performance verifications functionalities needed for various 6G AI capabilities as they continue to evolve for radio, core network and management, boosting network performance and making operability easier,” Nokia wrote.
While Ericsson suggested that location positioning and other applications in the handset and other 6G devices will be enabled by AI. “AI use cases include AI-enhanced receiver performance, AI-aided mobility measurements, AI-aided positioning and more,” Ericsson concluded.