WOS4 – Charting the Path Forward: Architectural Innovations and Integration Strategies for 6G Networks
Tuesday, 4 June 2024, 16:00-17:30, room Toucan 1
Session Chair: Didier Bourse (Nokia, FR)
Discussion on 6G Architecture Evolution: Challenges and Emerging Technology Trends
Özgür Umut Akgül (Nokia, Finland); Mårten Ericson (Ericsson Research, Sweden); Pere Garau Burguera (Aalto University, Finland); Bassem Arar (Technische Universität Dresden, Germany); Bahare Masood Khorsandi (Nokia, Germany); Roberto Querio and Antonio Varvara (Telecom Italia, Italy); Hasanin Harkous (Nokia Strategy and Technology, Germany); Stefan Wänstedt (Ericsson Research, Sweden); Milan Groshev and Antonio de la Oliva (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain); Janusz Pieczerak (Orange Polska S.A., Poland); Slawomir Kuklinski (Warsaw University of Technology, Poland); Swaraj Shekhar Nande (Technical University Dresden, Germany); Riccardo Bassoli (Technische Universität Dresden, Germany); Frank H.P. Fitzek (Technische Universität Dresden & ComNets – Communication Networks Group, Germany)
In addition to the many services deployed with the predecessor cellular generation, 6G is envisioned to host a large number of new services with strict KPI and QoS requirements which require the various network resources to be optimized accordingly. For example, 6G is expected to be the first generation of cellular systems with built-in sensing capabilities. The coexistence of these services on a common network infrastructure requires improvements in the network architecture to meet the required flexibility, efficiency, and autonomy. In order to provide a seamless and effective coexistence among different services, the 6G system needs to evolve the 5G RAN and CN. This paper discusses the different ongoing research activities on the 6G architecture and outlines the potential evolution of the different parts of the network. Moreover, the paper discusses the standardisation implications of these evolutionary changes.
A Power Efficient Cooperative Communication Protocol for 6G In-Factory Subnetworks
Hamid Reza Hashempour, Gilberto Berardinelli and Ramoni O Adeogun (Aalborg University, Denmark)
Industrial sixth generation (6G) wireless subnetworks are expected to support very short control communication cycles for multiple sensors. The achievement of demanding communication requirements in terms of latency and reliability might be challenged by signal fading and the presence of obstructors. In this paper, we propose a novel communication protocol for industrial subnetworks that leverages secondary access points (APs) acting as relays for improving the successful execution of short cycle times in a subnetwork, while reducing the overall emitted power. Our solution relies on a classification procedure for identifying the nodes to be served in relay mode, and an algorithm for minimizing the transmit power while coping with the timing constraints. Simulations results show the capability of the proposed approach of reducing the emitted power of up to 7.5 dB, while guaranteeing error probability and rate of resource overflow below (10^{-6}).
Enabling Hexa-X 6G Vision: An End-To-End Architecture
Bahare Masood Khorsandi (Nokia, Germany); Mohammad Asif Habibi (University of Kaiserslautern, Germany); Giuseppe Avino (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Luxembourg); Sokratis Barmpounakis (WINGS ICT Solutions, Greece); Giacomo Bernini (Nextworks, Italy); Mårten Ericson (Ericsson Research, Sweden); Bin Han (University of Kaiserslautern (RPTU), Germany); Ignacio Labrador Pavon (Atos Research and Innovation, Spain); José M. Jorquera Valero (University of Murcia, Spain); Diego Lopez (Telefonica I+D, Spain); Björn Richerzhagen (Siemens AG, Germany); Rony Bou Rouphael (Orange, France); Merve Saimler (Ericsson Research, Turkey); Lucas Scheuvens (TU Dresden, Germany); Corina-Kim Schindhelm (Siemens, Germany); Peter Schneider (Nokia Bell Labs, Germany); Tommy Svensson (Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden); Stefan Wunderer (Nokia Solutions and Networks, Germany)
The end-to-end (E2E) architecture for the 6th generation of mobile network (6G) necessitates a comprehensive design, considering emerging use cases (UCs), requirements, and key value Indicators (KVIs). These UCs collectively share stringent requirements of extreme connectivity, inclusivity, and flexibility imposed on the architecture and its enablers. Furthermore, the trustworthiness and security of the 6G architecture must be enhanced compared to previous generations, owning to the expected increase in security threats and more complex UCs that may expose new security vulnerabilities. Additionally, sustainability emerges as a critical design consideration in the 6G architecture. In light of these new set of values and requirements for 6G, this paper aims to describe an architecture proposed within the Hexa-X, the European 6G flagship project, capable of enabling the above-mentioned 6G vision for the 2030s and beyond.
New Access and Flexible Topologies in 6G: Architectural Implications
Panagiotis Botsinis (Apple Technology Engineering, Germany); Mårten Ericson (Ericsson Research, Sweden); Vasilis Tsekenis (WINGS ICT Solutions, Greece); Milan Groshev (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain); Maria Diamanti (Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS) – National Technical University of Athens, Greece); Vivek Sharma (Sony Europe B.V., United Kingdom (Great Britain)); Slawomir Kuklinski (Warsaw University of Technology, Poland); Sameh Eldessoki and Alperen Gündoğan (Apple Technology Engineering, Germany); Sokratis Barmpounakis and Panagiotis Demestichas (WINGS ICT Solutions, Greece); Symeon Papavassiliou (National Technical University of Athens, Greece); Beatriz Mendes (Ubiwhere, Portugal); Jaap van de Beek (Luleå University of Technology, Sweden)
6G goals, such as improved coverage, flexibility to different network scenarios, increased throughput, higher robustness and reliability could be advanced with the use of new access and flexible topologies. In this contribution, three enablers of new access and flexible topologies, which contribute to the aforementioned goals, are presented, namely network of networks, multi-connectivity and E2E context awareness management. Relevant studies of each enabler that impact the system architecture are described, along with the corresponding overviews of potential solutions. In addition, each enabler has been mapped to the 6G E2E system blueprint proposed by the Hexa-X-II project and its impact to the system, as well as the relevant stakeholders have been identified.
On the TSN and 5G Network Integration Approaches, 5G Features Proof, Advantages and Challenges
Seyed Mahdi Darroudi, Núria Domènech and Matteo Grandi (Neutroon Technologies, Spain); Rolando Guerra-Gómez (Neutroon, Spain)
The 5th generation of the cellular network (5G) provided less latency, higher throughput, more cell density, more efficient QoS management, among other benefits [1]. The research community is actively working on the integration of private 5G network into the industrial sector, recognizing 5G as enabler of the industry 4.0 [2]. Being complement with industrial network protocols, or being complement with prior industrial network technologies, is the challenge of exploiting the 5G networks in industry. A big step forward to unlock the deployment of private 5G networks in industrial environment, especially in factories employing mobile robots and enforcing a high level of automation, is the integration between 5G and Time Sensitive Networks (TSN). This paper investigates different approaches of integrating 5G and TSN networks and identifies 5G network features that need to be employed to satisfy TSN network equirements. A Proof of concept has been deployed over a testbed using Amarisoft callbox as the private 5G network stack where we highlight how 5G features can effectively satisfy TSN requirements.
