KEY DRIVERS AND RESEARCH CHALLENGES FOR 6G UBIQUITOUS WIRELESS INTELLIGENCE | 7
SOCIETAL AND BUSINESS DRIVERS FOR 6G
5G was primarily developed to address the anticipated capacity growth demand from consumers, as well
as the productivity demands from industry, and to enable the increasing importance of Internet of ings
(IoT). e technical success of 5G has relied on new developments in many areas and will deliver a much
wider range of data rates to a much broader variety of devices and users. 6G will require a substantially
more holistic approach to identify future communication needs, embracing a much wider community to
shape the requirements of 6G. is includes identifying the trends, demands and challenges facing future
societies, as well as the global forces shaping our future world to avoid merely commercially driven system
definitions. Even though 5G development was shaped by demands from a range of vertical industry sectors,
the emphasis has remained on deployments driven by mobile network operators (MNOs). 6G will introduce
super-efficient short-range connectivity solutions that are likely to be driven by new players in the market
resulting in new ecosystems outside traditional MNOs. Having a more inclusive view outside of MNOs will
help shape the needs of 6G.
Drivers from society, including the UN sustainability goals, will shape 6G.
Societal and business drivers will increasingly shape 6G development, including political, economic,
social, technological, legal and environmental (PESTLE) drivers as highlighted in Figure 4. To ensure that
the benefits of smart city services and urbanization are fully shared and inclusive, policies to manage
urban growth need to ensure access to infrastructure and social services for all, focusing on the needs
of the urban poor and other vulnerable groups for housing, education, health care, meaningful work and
a safe environment. e rise of always-connected omni-present systems, gadgets and sensors serving
digital automation of critical processes will set high requirements for trustworthiness and resilience. e
ubiquitous connectivity and contextual awareness of 6G networks is expected to promote ICT accessibility
and use for the social and economic development of people with specific needs, including indigenous
people and people living in rural areas. Future 6G architectures will foster digital inclusion and accessibility
also unlocking rural economic value and opportunities.
High energy efficiency to reduce the overall network energy consumption is a critical requirement for 6G.
e choice, use, reuse and recycling of materials throughout product lifecycles will enable the total cost
of ownership to be reduced, facilitate the extension of network connectivity to remote areas, and provide
network access in a sustainable and more resource-efficient way. Extensive research has been conducted
into possible health effects of exposure to many parts of the frequency spectrum including mobile
phones and base stations. All reviews conducted so far have indicated that exposures below the limits
recommended in the ICNIRP (1998) EMF guidelines
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, covering the full frequency range from 0-300 GHz,
do not produce any known adverse health effects (UN WHO
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). e introduction of novel 6G technologies
will initiate the need to review the status of the science and identify gaps in knowledge needing further
research to make beer health risk assessments.
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ICNIRP guidelines for limiting exposure to time-varying electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields (up to 300 GHz) published in:
Health Physics 74 (4):494-522; 1998. hps://www.icnirp.org/cms/upload/publications/ICNIRPemfgdl.pdf.
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WHO - World Health Organization. Extremely low frequency fields. Environmental Health Criteria, Vol. 238. Geneva, World Health
Organization, 2007. hps://www.who.int/peh-emf/en/