2025邁向6G的網(wǎng)絡(luò)架構(gòu)演進(jìn)報(bào)告：挑戰(zhàn)、原則與未來(lái)方向

NETWORK

ARCHITECTUREEVOLUTION

TOWARDS6G

V1.0

2

NETWORKARCHITECTURE

EVOLUTIONTOWARDS6G

byNGMNAlliance

Version:

1.0

Date:

18February2025

DocumentType:

FinalDeliverable

ConfidentialityClass:

Public

Project:

NetworkArchitectureEvolutiontowards6G

ProjectLeads:

QuanZhao,DavidLister,JaideepAbichandani

Editors:

JeanSchwoerer,KevinHolley,TaoSun

Standardsexpert:

ChrisPudney

NGMNProgrammeManager:

SparshSinghal

Approvedby/Date:

NGMNAllianceBoard,06February2025

ForPublicdocuments(P):?2025NextGenerationMobileNetworksAlliancee.V.Allrightsreserved.NopartofthisdocumentmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeanswithoutpriorwrittenpermissionfromNGMNAlliancee.V.

TheinformationcontainedinthisdocumentrepresentsthecurrentviewheldbyNGMNAlliancee.V.ontheissuesdiscussedasofthedateofpublication.Thisdocumentisprovided“asis”withnowarrantieswhatsoeverincludinganywarrantyofmerchantability,non-infringement,orfitnessforanyparticularpurpose.Allliability(includingliabilityforinfringementofanypropertyrights)relatingtotheuseofinformationinthisdocumentisdisclaimed.Nolicense,expressorimplied,toanyintellectualpropertyrightsaregrantedherein.Thisdocumentisdistributedforinformationalpurposesonlyandissubjecttochangewithoutnotice.Readersshouldnotdesignproductsbasedonthisdocument.

3

DOCUMENTHISTORY

Date

Version

Author

Changes

15.11.2024

V0.1.1

TaoSun,CMCC

Initialdraft

19.12.2024

V0.2

QuanZhao,CMCC

Internaldraftwithsurveyreport

02.01.2025

V0.3

QuanZhao,CMCC

Executivesummary,Abbreviations

andAppendix

07.01.2025

V0.3.1

QuanZhao,CMCC

AddressingTurkcell’sfeedback;Format

10.01.2025

V0.3.2

QuanZhao,CMCC

Placingtherelevantsurvey

resultfiguresdirectlyundertheircorrespondingsections

14.01.2025

V0.4

QuanZhao,CMCC

Acleanversionforpartnerreview

17.01.2025

V0.5

QuanZhao,CMCC

Membersagreedversion

4

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVESUMMARY 6

01INTRODUCTION 7

02FACTORSINFLUENCINGARCHITECTUREEVOLUTION 8

2.1Addressing5GGapsandLimitations 8

2.2SupportingNewScenariosandRequirements 9

2.3AdaptingtoPotentialRANChange 9

2.4EmbracingEmergingTechnologyTrends 10

03THE6GNETWORKARCHITECTUREDESIGNPRINCIPLES 11

04CHALLENGES&WAYFORWARD 13

4.1Challenges 13

4.2StandardisationConsiderations 13

4.3NextSteps 13

05LISTOFABBREVIATIONS 14

06REFERENCES 15

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 16

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EXECUTIVESUMMARY

NGMN-NextGenerationMobileNetworksAlliance

-initiatedcollaborativestudieswithNGMNMobileNetworkOperator(MNO)Members,vendorsandacademia(NGMNAlliancemembership)toguidethenetworkarchitectureevolutiontowards6G.Thispublicationexploreskeyfactorsinfluencingpossiblearchitecturechanges,designprinciples,andchallenges.

KEYFINDINGS:

?EarlyStageof6GNetworkArchitectureEvolution:

Theworktodefinenetworkarchitectureevolutiontowards6Gisstillinitsearlystage:Thevaryinglevelsof5G1networkmaturityamongMNOsrangingfromNonstandalone(NSA),toStandalone(SA).resultsindiverseperspectivesontheevolutionpath.

?Addressing5GGapsandLimitations:

While5Ghasmadesignificantstrides,challengesremain,includingnetworkcomplexity,energyefficiency,limitedcoverage,scalabilityandflexibilityissues.

?SupportingNewScenarios:

6GshouldsupportevolvingIMT-2030scenarios,newservices(e.g.,AI,sensing,immersivecommunications),andrequirements(e.g.,enhancedandnewcapabilities).

?AdaptingtoRANChange:

Theimpactofapotentialnewairinterfaceandemergingtechnologies(e.g.,AI/ML,cloud-native)needscarefulconsideration.

?ArchitectureEvolutionPrinciples:

Keydesignprinciplesfor6Garchitectureincludeenablinginnovation,deliveringnewfeaturesinamodularmanner,networksimplicity,sustainability,trustworthiness,cloud-nativeapproaches,andseamlessmigrationfrom5G.

CHALLENGES:

?Achievingconsensusonthemigrationdesignfrom5Gto6Gduringstandardisation.

?Managingcomplexity,infrastructureupgradeeffortsandidentifyingkeybusinesscases.

WAYFORWARD:

?Fosteringcollaborationandalignmentacrosstheindustryisessential.

?Ensuringadequatetimeisallocatedfor6Garchitecturestudiestoeffectivelyleverageinsightsandexperiencegainedfrom5Gimplementations.

?Prioritisingcostefficiencyanddeploymentflexibilitytoaddressdiversecustomerandoperatorneedsforsuccessful3GPPstandardisation.

CONCLUSION:

Thispublicationprovidesavaluableframeworkforguidingtheevolutionofnetworkarchitecturetowards6G.RecognisingthediverseneedsandevolutionarystagesofdifferentMNOs,findingabalancebetweenprovidingflexibilityandensuringsimple,long-termsustainable6Garchitectureiscrucial.NGMNcallsforstrongindustrycollaborationtoaddressthesechallengesandadheretotheproposeddesignprinciples.FosteringIndustrycollaborationcanpavethewaytoasuccessfulandsustainablefutureforcommunicationnetworks.

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01INTRODUCTION

TheNGMN’s‘6GPositionStatementAnOperatorView’[1]envisionsthat6Gisthegracefulevolutionofcommunicationnetworksintothe2030s,deliveringcompellingnewservicesandcapabilitiesforcustomers.Historicallynetworkarchitecturehasbeeninstrumentalinshapingtheefficiencyandpotentialoftheentiremobilesystems.Manybelievethatinthe6Gera,emergingservicesandscenarioswilldriveanincreasingdemandfornetworkarchitecturetotranscendtraditionalconnectivityandintegratemulti-dimensionalcapabilities.WithappropriateinclusionofArtificialIntelligence(AI),computing,sensing,andenhancedsecurity.Thedesignof6Gnetworkarchitectureandawell-definedmigrationstrategyarefundamentaltotheoverallstandardisationprocess.

However,consensuson6Gnetworkarchitecturehasyettobereached.NGMNMobileNetworkOperatorMembersarecurrentlyatdifferentstagesoftheir4Gand5Gnetworkevolution.Somehavetransitionedto5GStandalone(SA),whileothersarestillinNon-Standalone(NSA)configurationsorprogressingthroughintermediatestages.

ThisheterogeneityamongtheMNOspresentsdiverseperspectivesonthemostsuitable6Gevolutionpath.Optionsunderconsiderationincludeadoptingacompletelynew6Gcore,extendingandenhancingtheexisting5Gcore,orevenintegratingelementsofthe4GEPCintoahybridcore.Thesechallengesechothoseencounteredduring5Gstandardisationprocess,wherediversemigrationoptions(NSAandSA)introducedsignificantcomplexity.Findingappropriatebalancebetweentheneedforflexibility,accommodatingdiverselevelsof5Gnetworkevolutionamongoperators,andtheneedtoensuresimplicityfor6Gremainacriticalchallenge.

Recognisingthesechallenges,themajorityofNGMNMNOMembersbelievethatnowistheappropriatetimetocommencestudieson6Gnetworkarchitecture,withmanyemphasisingtheurgencyofachievingalignmentpriorto3GPPstandardisation.Tothisend,NGMNMNOMembers,incollaborationwithvendorpartnersandacademiafromNGMN’s

membership,haveinitiatedstudiesfocusedontheevolutionofnetworkarchitecturetoward6G.Furthermore,NGMNconductedasurveyamongitsBoardMemberstogathertheirviewsonkeyareasof6Garchitectureevolution.

Buildingontheinsightsderivedfromthesestudiesandthesurveyresults,thispublicationaimstoguidetheindustryinre-thinkingthevaluesandrequirementsof6Gnetworks,withthegoaloffosteringearlyconsensusonkeyaspects.Giventhebroadscopeofnetworkarchitecturetopicsandthechallengesofachievingconsensuswithinalimitedtimeframe,thisdocumentfocusesprimarilyonselectedareas,withanemphasisonthecorenetworkperspective.Itincludeslessonslearntfrom5G,driversofarchitectureevolutionfromnewservicerequirements,supportofnewairinterfaceandRANtechnologytrends,migrationstrategies,designprinciples,challengesandthewayforward.Thiscollaborativeapproachseekstoaligntheindustryonacommonvisionfor6Garchitecture,promotingaharmonisedapproachtostandardsandecosystemdevelopment.

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02FACTORSINFLUENCINGARCHITECTUREEVOLUTION

2.1ADDRESSING5GGAPSANDLIMITATIONS

The5Gnetworkarchitecturemarkedasignificantleapforwardcomparedtopreviousgenerations,withitsadoptionofaService-BasedArchitecture(SBA)enablingacloud-nativedeployment.Theseinnovationsenhancedflexibilityandscalability,enablingmoredynamicandadaptablenetworkorchestration.While5Giscontinuouslyintroducingremarkableadvancements,therewilllikelyremaingapsthatneedtobeaddressed.FromtheMNOsperspective,networkcomplexity,integrationcomplexitywithlegacysystemsandenergyefficiencyareidentifiedasthetopthreeconcernsinexisting5Gnetworks,withcoverage,roaming,andscalabilityalsohighlightedasissuesrequiringattention.

NetworkComplexity

5Gsupportsmoreradio-accesstechnologies(RATs),newbandcombinations,networkslices,anddifferentfunctionalities.Networkcomplexityarisesnotonlyfromtheadvanced4Gand5Gnetworksbutalsofromchallengesassociatedwithintegratinglegacysystemsandinter-operatingwithothersystems.5Ghasintroducedseveralinterworkingarchitectureoptions(e.g.SA,NSA).Someofthestandardisedinterworkingarchitectureoptionshavenotbeenimplementedinpractice,anddifferentchoicesforstandardisationand/orimplementationcouldhaveresultedinasmoothermigrationtoSA.Suchdifferent5Gcoreoptionsalsodrivecomplexityinstandardisation,development,andoperationaldeploymentincommercialnetworks.Thiscomplexitywillbefurthermagnifiedifthereisanew6Gcore,andthisnewcomplexityneedstobejustified.Considerationshouldbegiventoreducingcomplexitywherepossible.

EnergyEfficiency

While5Gofferssignificantadvancements,the5Grollouthasilluminatedtheenergyconsumption

challengeswithinwirelesssystemsduetothedeploymentofmassiveMIMOantennas,beamforming,andtheoperationofhigherfrequencybandsandwiderbandwidth.Additionally,tosupporttime-sensitiveservices,5Gnetworksallowplacementoftheuserplaneandcomputingpowerattheedge,whichincreasesprocessingdemandsandenergyusageduetoadditionaledgehardwareandpoolingoverheads.As6Gemerges,withitspromiseofevenhigherdatarates,lowerlatency,greaterdeviceconnectivity,andprovidingAIandcomputingservices,energyefficiencywillbecomeanevenmorecriticalconcernandneedadditionalmeasurestolowertheoverallenergyconsumption.

CoverageandConnectivityinRemoteAreas

Severaloperationalreasons(e.g.deploymentconstraints,radiopropagationcharacteristics,complexityofsharinginfrastructure)makeitchallengingtooffercoverageinruralandremoteregions(orindoorlocations).6Gshouldcontinuetoenhanceusers'connectivityexperiencebyenablingseamlessinteroperationbetweenmobile,fixed,andnon-terrestrialnetworks(NTNs).

SBAandCloudNativeSupport

The5GC(core)containsamixtureofSBAAPIsandlegacypoint-to-pointprotocolswithNFssometimesimplementedinanon-cloud-nativemanner.Thismixturecreateschallengesinflexibility,scalability,andresilience.6GisexpectedtofurtherextendSBAinterfacesandextendcloud-nativeprinciplesforNFimplementations.

RoamingandGlobalAvailability

Roamingtoprovideglobalserviceavailabilityisanimportantfeature,especiallyformachine-to-machine(M2M)services(wheremanydevicesare“permanentroamers”).GiventhelonglifeofM2Mdevices,changestoroamingarchitectureneedtobecarefullyconsidered.Unlikepreviousgenerations,5G’ssessionmanagementsignaling

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betweenthemobileandcorenetwork,andbetweenRANandcorenetwork,isroutedtothehomeSessionManagementFunction(SMF).AnyevolutionoftheN1andN2interfacesfor6G,thatresultsindifferencesinroaminginterfaces,needstobeconsideredinthelightofthepotentialreuseof5GCroamingagreements.

2.2SUPPORTING

NEWSCENARIOSANDREQUIREMENTS

IMT-2030ScenariosandCapabilities

ThefuturenetworkarchitectureneedstoconsiderhowtoeffectivelysupporttheevolvingdemandsofIMT-2030usagescenarios,capabilities,andrequirements.TheITU-RIMTframeworkfor2030andbeyond[7]expandsthethreeusagescenariosdefinedinIMT-2020andintroducesthreenewones:UbiquitousConnectivity,ArtificialIntelligenceandCommunication,andIntegratedSensingandCommunication.Similarly,theframeworkextendstheninecapabilitiesfromIMT-2020withtheadditionofsixnewcriticalareas:Coverage,Sensing-relatedcapabilities,AI-relatedcapabilities,Sustainability,Interoperability,andPositioning.

NewServices

In2022,NGMNidentifiedfourteenpotentialgenericusecasesinits6GUseCasesandAnalysispublication[3].In2024,aninternalsurveyconductedamongNGMNMNOMemberson6GservicesrevealedthatapproximatelyhalfoftheparticipatingMNOsprioritisedfourkeyareas:Sensing-assistedCommunication,MultipleRobotNetworkingandCollaboration,AIAgent-drivenInteractions,andMultilateralEcosystems.SomeofthesurveyedMNOsselectedVR/AR,AutonomousVehicles,SmartTransportation,Industry4.0Applications,SmartHomes/Cities,andInternetofThings(IoT).However,severalMNOsindicatedthatallthesenewservicescanbeaccomplishedviacurrent5G,orthroughsoftwareupgradeswithoutnecessarilyintroducinganewarchitecture.

NewRequirements

Regardingnewrequirementstriggeringarchitecturechange,amajorityofMNOsparticipatedinsurveyselectedAutonomousnetworkmanagement(78%)andAI-nativedesign(67%).IntegratedSensingandCommunication(56%),Networkresilienceand

elasticity(56%),Co-ordinationbetweennetworkandcomputing(44%),Decentralisedanddistributedarchitecture(44%),andSustainability(44%)alsorankedhighamongthepriorities.However,fewMNOsalsoindicatedthatnoneoftheserequirementsnecessitateafundamentalchangetotheexistingnetworkarchitecture.

2.3ADAPTINGTOPOTENTIALRANCHANGE

NewAirInterface

NGMNacknowledgesthepotentialbenefitsofimprovedefficiencyandlowercostin6Gairinterfaces.However,theseadvancementsmustbecarefullyevaluatedagainstestablishedperformanceandcostbenchmarkstoensuretheydelivertangiblevalue.Deployinganew6GRATwillsignificantlyincreasenetworkarchitecturecomplexityduetotheneedformanagingmultipleRATs.However,thesupportofdualconnectivity,andpotentiallyinter-RATspectrumsharingwouldenableenhanceddatarates.Newinnovationsshouldprioritisetheminimisingofbothoperationalandtechnicalcomplexity.

WhilesomeMNOsadvocatetoretainexistingairinterfacetechnologies,manyMNOssuggestthatanew6Gairinterfaceshouldfocusonprovidingtangibleimprovementover5G-advancedinkeyareasincludingincreasedspectrumefficiency,andISAC,aswellasdenselow-costdeviceconnectivity.

Ifanew6Gairinterfaceisadopted,asperinternalsurvey,60%oftheMNOsprefertoanchoritwiththe5GSAcorenetwork,while40%preferadedicated6Gcorenetwork.Potentialenhancementstothecorenetworkforoptimal6GRANevolutionincludetightintegrationwithAI/ML,amoredistributedarchitecturewithedgecomputing,enhancednetworkslicingtoprovidemoreflexibleandcustomisednetworkservicestomeetdiverseapplicationrequirements.VirtualisationenhancementsmustfacilitatethedeploymentofvariousRANtechnologiesenablingdynamicresourceallocation.AnewRATshouldnotreverserecentadvancestowardsamoreopenmulti-vendorRAN,byensuringthetimelyspecificationandinter-operabilitytestingofRANinterfacesincludingthefronthaulinterface.

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2.4EMBRACINGEMERGINGTECHNOLOGYTRENDS

Eachgenerationofmobilenetworkshasbeendrivenbytechnologicaladvancements.Toremainfuture-ready,NGMNrecognisesthepotentialimpactofseveralemergingtechnologytrendsonfuturenetworkarchitecture.

Keyareasinclude:

?AI-NativeParadigm:

DesignsystemswithAIcapabilitiesembeddeddeeplywithintheirarchitectureandprocesses.

?Cloud-NativeTechnologies:

Leveragingcloud-nativeprinciplesforgreateragility,scalability,andefficiency.

?Multi-AccessConvergence:

Ensuringseamlessconnectivityandintegrationacrossvariousaccesstechnologies(e.g.,5G,Wi-Fi,satellite).

?IntegratedComputingServices:

Supportingnetworkandcomputingintegration,extendingedgecomputingcapabilitiestoprovideadvancedservices.

?Data-DrivenOperations:

Enablingefficientdataacquisition,processing,andmanagementtosupportAI-drivenapplicationsandnetworkoptimisation.

?DecentralisationandEnhancedSecurity:

Facilitatingrobustandflexiblenetworkoperationsthroughdistributedarchitecturesandadvancedsecuritymeasures.

?NetworkDigitalTwins:

Utilisingreal-timenetworksimulationsanddigitaltwinsforimprovedplanning,optimisation,andtroubleshooting.

?ProtocolEvolution:

ExploringthepotentialofprotocolslikeQUIC(QuickUDPInternetConnections)toenhanceefficiencyandperformance.

?Post-QuantumCryptography:

Encryptionmechanismsthatcanresistattacksfrombothclassicalandquantumcomputers.

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03THE6GNETWORK

ARCHITECTUREDESIGN

PRINCIPLES

Asanalysedintheprecedingsection,thefuture6Gnetworkarchitectureshouldaddress5Ggapsandlimitations.Itshouldsupportnewscenariosandrequirements,adapttoRANchanges,andembraceemergingtechnologytrends.NGMNenvisionsthe6Gframeworkasaservice-basedplatformthatintroducesinnovationstoefficientlymeetthegrowingdemandsofusers,applications,andindustries.ThisframeworkwillleverageAI/Agentic-AIaskeycomponentsforenablingautonomous,intelligentnetworks.Inaddition,comparedtopreviousgenerations,6Gshouldbedesignedtoaccomplishsustainabilityrequirementsfromscratch.

TheIMT-2030frameworkhighlightssustainability,security,andresilience,connectingtheunconnected,andubiquitousintelligenceasoverarchingaspectswhichactasdesignprinciplescommonlyapplicabletoallusagescenarios.Whileopinionswithinindustryvaryontheneedforanewairinterfaceorcorenetwork,NGMNrecognisesthatdefiningtheoverall6Garchitectureisacomplextaskthatwillrequireextensivediscussionandcollaborationacrossindustry.

Establishingcleardesignprinciplesisessentialtopromotecooperation,minimiseunnecessarycomplexity,andensurealignmentwithlong-termobjectives.Asafoundation,theNGMNMNOMembersproposethefollowingdesignprinciplestoguidetheevolutionofthenetworkarchitecturetowards6G.

?EnableInnovation:

ThenetworkarchitectureshouldfacilitatethedeliveryofnewIMT-2030capabilities,includingsensing,AI/ML,computing,andenhancedsecurity.

?ModularManner:

Newfeaturesshouldbedeployableon-demandwhenneededwithoutcompromisingexistingcoreconnectivityservices.Thisconceptofmodularitycanapplytobothnetworksanddevices.

?NetworkOperationalSimplicity:

PrioritisenetworkoperationalsimplificationthroughAI/Agentic-AI-drivenorothermethodsofautomation,cloud-nativedesign,openstandardsandinteroperablecomponents,networkexposure,anextendedSBA,andalignmentonkeymulti-vendorinterfaces.

?Sustainability:

Minimiseenvironmentalimpactbyreducingenergyconsumptionandcarbonfootprintthroughcross-layerandcross-domainoptimisation.Ensureeconomicsustainabilitythroughcost-efficientdeploymentsandoperationalmodels.Ensuresocialsustainability,intermse.g.,ofdigitalinclusionandtrustworthiness.

?Trustworthiness:

Ensurebuilt-insecuritybyleveragingevolvingsecurityparadigmsandtechnologiesandimplementingquantum-safeinfrastructuretoenhancesecurity,privacyandresilience.

?Cloud-Native:

Embracecloud-nativeprinciplesandfurtherextendtheSBA.

?NativeVoiceServices:

Ensureseamlesssupportfornativevoiceservicesfromdayone.

?NetworkasaService:

Enabletheprovisionofnewservices,such

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ascomputingasaservice,dataasaservice,andAIasaservice,leveragingthenetwork'scapabilitiesandassets,toenhancethevalueoftelcoinfrastructure.

?InteroperabilityandCompatibility:

Ensureseamlessinteroperabilitywithfixednetworks,NTNs,and5Gsystemstoenableubiquitousconnectivity;Ensurecompatibilityandinteroperabilitywith5G.

?SmoothMigration:

Prioritiseasmoothmigrationpathfrom5GSAto6G,avoidingunnecessarydeploymentoptions.

?AutomationandNetworkDigitalTwins:

UtiliseAI/Agentic-AI-enabledautomationandnetworkdigitaltwinsforproactivenetworkmanagement,enablingpredictivemaintenanceandimproveduserexperience.

?AppropriatelyDisaggregatedMulti-VendorApproach:

Fosteramultilateralecosystemwherediversestakeholderscancollaborateandinnovateonasharedplatform,creatingvaluethroughopenstandardsandinteroperability,andsupportingdecentraliseddeploymentswhenneeded.

?BackwardsCompatibilityandReusability:

Avoidunnecessaryincompatibilityandmaximisethereuseofexistinginfrastructurethroughsoftwareupgrades.

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04CHALLENGES&WAYFORWARD

4.1CHALLENGES

Thejourneytowardtheevolutionofnetworkarchitecturefrom5Gto6Gisstillinitsearlystages.Atthispoint,detaileddiscussionsaboutspecificarchitecturaloptionsarepremature,particularlyasmanyfoundationalaspectsremainuncertain,suchasthespecificusecasesandthenecessityforanewRAT.NGMNMNOMembersidentifiedthefollowingchallengesinmigrationfrom5Gto6G,particularlyconcerningthecorenetwork:

?Achievingconsensusduringstandardisation

?Managingthecomplexityofenablingnewcapabilities&capacityandpreservinglegacysystems

?Effortsforinfrastructureupgrades

?Identifyandunderstandkey6Gbusinesscase

?Spectrumissues

?Redeployingexistingservices

?Achievingconsensusonstandardisationisthemostcriticalchallengeamongthese.

4.2STANDARDISATIONCONSIDERATIONS

Collaborationandalignmentacrosstheindustryareevidentlyessentialtoensureasuccessfultransition.ManyNGMNMNOMembersandvendorsandacademiafromNGMN’smembershipareactivelyparticipatingin3GPPdiscussions,focusingon6Gusecases,requirements,andsustainabilitystudiesthatwilllaythefoundationforthe6Gnetworkarchitecture.Itisimperativetoallocatesufficienttimefor6Garchitecturestudiestoavoidrepeatingthechallengesencounteredwiththe5Gdesignprocess.Aswewitnessed,implementationwithearlysupportfor5GNSAcreatedchallengesforthesubsequentmigrationtowards5G-SA.Alongwith3GPPstandardisation,NGMNMNOMembersalsoconsiderprioritisingcostefficiencyasoneofthetopareasoffocus.

4.3NEXTSTEPS

NGMNisdedicatedtoguidingtheevolutionofmobilenetworksacrossgenerationstowardsasuccessfulfuture.Buildingupontheanalysisoffactorsinfluencingfuturenetworkarchitecturechangeandtheproposeddesignprinciples.NGMNwillcontinuetoleadstudiesanddeliverguidanceandrecommendationsonkeyareasrelatedtonetworkarchitectureevolution.Theseincludedevelopingmigrationstrategies,ensuringseamlesscoexistencewithexisting5Gnetworks,andexploringthenewcapabilitiesthat6Gmustsupport.Theseeffortswilldrivetheevolutionoffuturenetworkarchitecturetowardsascalable,innovative,efficient,sustainable,andfuture-proofframeworkthatwillempoweratrulyconnectedandintelligentsociety.

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05LISTOFABBREVIATIONS

3GPP

3rdGenerationPartnershipProject

AI

ArtificialIntelligence

ML

MachineLearning

DT

DigitalTwin

EPC

EvolvedPacketCore

IMT

InternationalMobileTelecommunications

IMT-2020

Requirementsfornetworksbeyond2020(5G)

IMT-2030

Requirementsfornetworksbeyond2030(6G)

IoT

InternetofThings

ISAC

IntegratedSensingandCommunications

ITU

InternationalTelecommunicationUnion

ITU-R

ITURadiocommunicationsSector

M2M

Machine-to-Machine

MNO

MobileNetworkOperator

NF

NetworkFunction

NGMN

NextGenerationMobileNetworkAlliance

NSA

Non-Standalone

NTN

Non-TerrestrialNetwork

QUIC

QuickUDPInternetConnections

RAT

RadioAccessTechnology

RAN

RadioAccessNetwork

SA

Standalone

SBA

ServiceBasedArchitecture

SMF

SessionManagementFunction

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06REFERENCES

[1]NGMN,6GPositionStatement,Sep2023,

/wp-content/uploads/NGMN_6G_Position_Statement.pdf

[2]NGMN,6GDriversandVision,April2021,

/wp-content/uploads/NGMN-6G-Drivers-and-Vision-V1.0_final.pdf

[3]NGMN,6GUseCasesandAnalysis,February2022,

/wp-content/uploads/220222-NGMN-6G-Use-Cases-and-Analysis-1.pdf

[4]NGMN,6GRequirementsandDesignConsiderations,Feb2023,

/wp-content/uploads/NGMN_6G_Requirements_and_Design_Considerations.pdf

[5]NGMN,ITU-RFrameworkforIMT-2030:ReviewandFutureDirection,Feb2023,

/wp-content/uploads/ITU-R_FRAMEWORK_FOR_IMT-2030.pdf

[6]NGMN,RadioPerformanceAssessmentFramework,Dec2024,

/wp-content/uploads/241018_Radio_Performance_Assessment_Framework_V1.0.pdf

[7]RecommendationITU-RM.2160,

FrameworkandoverallobjectivesofthefuturedevelopmentofIMTfor2030andbeyond,

/dms_pubrec/itu-r/rec/m/R-REC-M.2160-0-202311-I!!PDF-E.pdf

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thefollowingpeopleandcompaniesparticipatedinthedevelopmentofthispublication.

?Accenture,MohamedAbdelhamid

?Amdocs,AndrewDsouza,StevePlain

?Anritsu,JonathanBorrill,MarshDsouza

?Apple,MonaMustapha,RalfRossbach,KomeOteri

?BT,KevinHolley

?ChinaMobile,TaoSun,QuanZhao,TongZhang,XiaotingHuang

?ChunghwaTelecom,He-WeiYeh

?CICTMobile,HuiXu,ShaoliKang

?CISCO,FranO'Brien

?DeutscheTelekom,KonstantinosChalkiotis,PeterStevens

?Ericsson,JannePeisa,MassimoCondoluci,Torbj?rnCagenius

?FraunhoferInstitute,ZoranUtkovski,MarcEmmelmann,KenanTurbic

?Huawei,PeiyingZhu,XueliAn,YanChen,FeiLi,XuLi,HuiLin,ShaoyunWu,Fangli,SaidTatesh

?InstituteofInformationIndustry,YountaiLee,FrankSu

?Intel,GaryLi

?InterDigitalEuropeLtd,SebastianRobitzsch

?ITRI,MitchTseng,AllenWen,CharlieChang

?King’sCollegeL