Signals from Above: The Road to Flying 6G Networks and Connectivity Everywhere
Scientists propose a network architecture for future 6G mobile communications that includes a flying layer of unmanned aerial vehicles and satellites
5G networks have various advantages over previous mobile communications standards, but their coverage is still limited in sparsely populated regions of the world. The solution to this may lie in 6G networks, which would incorporate a flying layer of unmanned aerial vehicles to make connectivity truly available anywhere. In a recent study, an international team of scientists proposes such a network architecture and explores its benefits along with the technical challenges in making 6G a reality.
The field of telecommunications has seen unprecedented advances, especially with regard to wireless networks. Whereas 4G-LTE, the current standard in mobile communications, focused on increasing speed and capacity, newly emerging fifth-generation (5G) raised the bar with a variety of features that make the network smarter in how devices are served, more reliable in terms of latency for critical operations, and more accessible in challenging environments such as moving subways and congested buildings. And although 5G services have brought in myriad applications with them, researchers have kept their eyes on the road ahead in preparation of the sixth generation (6G) — the next generation of mobile communications. What could 6G possibly have to offer and, most importantly, what problems would it solve?
In a recent paper published in ETRI Journal , an international team of scientists, led by Dr Emilio Calvanese Strinati from CEA-LETI, France, describes how a 6G network architecture would be like, what it would bring to the table, and the technical challenges that it will present. A fundamental problem with 4G and 5G networks is that they were conceived to provide coverage in two-dimensional (2D) space. This design paradigm and its associated business model leave less densely populated regions of the world with relatively worse connectivity, meaning that the potential of 5G will remain untapped in important areas such as smart agriculture and mining. Dr Strinati explains how 6G will work, “Moving from 2D to three-dimensional (3D) coverage is an attractive solution to current challenges in the field of mobile communications. The third dimension would be a result of placing network elements up in the sky and space.”
The 6G network architecture proposed and analyzed in this study involves the use and orchestration of a flying network layer. Drones, unmanned aerial platforms, and satellites will cooperate to bring dynamic and omnipresent coverage, as well as a plethora of novel functionalities. As one would expect, implementing such a network entails rethinking many aspects of current mobile technology.
First, the team of scientists describe upcoming challenges form a standardization perspective, detailing the changes to modern standards required to ensure the coordination between a terrestrial network and a non-terrestrial network comprising unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Then, they delve into the 3D coverage and services offered by 6G (also predicting modifications to antenna standards that will be necessary to communicate with UAVs), the role and position of UAVs, and security concerns, among other topics.
Moreover, they address the problem of interference caused by the sheer density of UAVs and explore different strategies to mitigate it. Finally, they analyze the complicated task of dynamic resource allocation and management, which was one of the key advantages of 5G networks over 4G networks. Despite the current technical barriers to 6G, the team is optimistic about the end-user experience that the next generation of mobile communications will bring. “In the future, 6G will make people perceive being surrounded by a ‘huge artificial brain’ offering virtually zero-latency services, unlimited storage, and immense cognition capabilities.” remarks Dr Strinati.
6G networks may sound like they came straight out of a sci-fi movie, but this study takes a giant leap forward in understanding how to turn them into a reality!
Reference
Title of original paper: 6G in the Sky: On-Demand Intelligence at the Edge of 3D Networks
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4218/etrij.2020-0205
Name of authors: Emilio Calvanese Strinati1, Sergio Barbarossa2, Taesang Choi3, Antonio Pietrabissa5, Alessandro Giuseppi5, Emanuele De Santis5, Josep Vidal4, Zdenek Becvar6, Thomas Haustein7, Nicolas Cassiau1, Francesca Costanzo2, Junhyeong Kim3, and Ilgyu Kim3
Affiliations:
1CEA-Leti, MINATEC Campus
2Sapienza University of Rome, DIET
3Telecommunications & Media Research Laboratory, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
4Dept. Signal Theory and Communications, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya
5Sapienza University of Rome and Space Research Group of CRAT
6Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Technicka 2
7Wireless Communications and Networks, Fraunhofer HHI
About Dr Emilio Calvanese Strinati
Emilio Calvanese Strinati obtained a Master’s degree in Engineering in 2001 from the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza,’ Italy, and a PhD in Engineering Science in 2005 from Ecole nationale supérieure des Télécommunications, France. He is currently the 6G program and smart devices and telecommunications scientific and innovation director at the French Atomic Energy Commission’s Electronics and Information Technologies Laboratory in Grenoble, France. He has published over 100 papers in international conferences, journals, and book chapters. His current research interests are in the area of beyond-5G future-enabling technologies such as high-frequency communications, mobile edge computing, and distributed intelligence.
