Guest contributor Heikki Almay outlines some of the implications of pursuing a decentralised approach to 6G. While it may upset many existing business approaches, is it the only sane way forwards?
As engineers and scientists begin to develop 6G technology, uncomfortable questions need to be addressed, including what the point of 6G is, how it will be monetised, and what sort of experience it will deliver.
5G has taught us that the ‘build it and they will come’ approach won’t work. In contrast, 6G must be customer centric, not network centric, and start with a far clearer proposition around customer value.
In this green paper we explore what’s needed to make 6G a success.
While SK Telecom's 58-page document is extremely wide-ranging, there are some important messages which might get lost in the noise. This white paper doesn't only propose technical solutions but spells out a philosophy for how the telecoms market should approach 6G.
We are getting more clarity on the technical aspects of what 6G might need to be or do. However, there are major questions which arise on the commercial front. Unless the industry can find answers to these, very real opportunities may go to waste.
Behind the flash and glamour of last week's MWC there has been some question about the commercial health of the ecosystem. While drone taxis and other elements are unlikely to revolutionise the industry during the 2020s, there are some quieter revolutions under way which actually might.
The GSMA’s Chairman, Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete, made a stir this morning as he announced that the GSMA would fundamentally change to become ‘a standards organisation’ in what he hailed as ‘the rebirth of the GSMA’. It won't and it's not, but there are interesting times afoot.
The NGMN's recent white paper on 6G requirements sets out an operator vision for the next generation. It offers a pragmatic concept of 6G and its implementation which suggests a very different way forward compared to previous generations, which might regrow the fortunes of the industry.
While internet governance sounds only marginally relevant, there are some interesting opportunities available for those who can step in with solutions. Players in both internet and telecoms have the scope do exactly that, influencing the future of lives online as well as building whole new areas of business.