Beyond faster data speeds and more reliable service, the next generation of wireless networks—6G—is expected to meet surging demands for data rate and coverage, plus new applications resulting from artificial intelligence. Telecommunications is one of the many industries expected to be affected by AI.
Thanks to AI, 6G will include connected intelligence, exchanging and aggregating data for localization and sensing applications with communications.
That entails moving from timely and reliable data delivery to adaptive and efficient information processing, as well as computer-and-communication systems.
AI also will introduce more flexible network architectures that use software-defined elements such as open radio access networks (ORANs), dynamic and programmable networking architecture. Integrating AI within the flexible networking architecture of ORANs offers opportunities for wireless innovation in 6G but demands strong collaborations and engagement from telecommunication operators.
6G research through EU-U.S. partnership
The 6G European Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking announced 28 research and innovation programs and trial projects in January under Horizon Europe, a seven-year European Union scientific research initiative for research and technology development. Horizon Europe aims to understand how AI will impact communication networks in terms of hardware design and software development. One of the projects is 6G Trans-Continental Edge Learning (6G-XCEL), an EU-U.S. joint initiative.
The 6G-XCEL project combines top research teams from major telecommunication operators, research institutes, and universities to simplify network functionalities, network resource sharing and management, and open-source implementation through software-based intelligent methods.
The project looks to build a first-class European supply chain for advanced 5G systems and technical capabilities toward 6G wireless systems. And 6G-XCEL extends that vision through platforms and open-source networking projects across continents.
That allows the project’s partners and affiliates an unparalleled advantage and opportunities to work in 6G, sharing critical experimental infrastructure and expertise.
The 6G-XCEL project plans to offer an open-source platform, DMMAI (decentralized multiparty, multinetwork AI), to operate methods in a scenario involving radio and optical networks. DMMAI also will enable researchers to perform experiments, test, and validate the methods and tools developed with AI.
A workshop to disseminate information
From 30 September to 1 October, I attended a 6G-XCEL workshop held at the Wireless Information Networking Laboratory (WINLAB) at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., one of the key research and innovation institutes for experimental research in wireless communications. As one of the team members representing Aalborg University in the 6G-XCEL project, I participated in the workshop to disseminate and discuss our recent research on developing efficient wireless communication protocols. I gave a presentation on understanding the interplay between the value of data, the use of machine learning models, and timing considerations to support novel communications paradigms in 6G systems.
The event was a joint effort with the Acceleration of Compatibility and Commercialization for ORAN Deployments (ACCoRD) program, a US $42 million initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The NTIA is led by major carriers including AT&T and Verizon. The workshop brought together leading experts and stakeholders from the wireless innovation community to explore advancements and collaborations in 6G technology.
ACCoRD is designed to create an affordable, accessible, and available testing and evaluation facility for industry and academic researchers working on the next generation of wireless systems. The ACCoRD testbeds are built to promote open and interoperable solutions developed by the researchers—which can later be standardized and adopted for RAN deployment at scale.
The workshop identified ways 6G-XCEL complements ACCoRD’s vision. It addressed key challenges in accommodating the multifunctional and dynamic nature of 6G networks, such as AI-as-a-Service (AIaaS), decentralized network operations and orchestrations, and energy-efficient integration of AI and communications.
AIaaS is a significant step toward making AI an integral part of network design and operation. The AI-native communication systems are expected to offer solutions such as automated AI service management and network operations and distributed AI for network control.
“6G-XCEL is unique in that it is not investigating a final solution but rather a framework for furthering research and developments, creating standards, and especially for benchmarking across testbeds to accelerate progress on this important topic of AI for 6G.” —Dan Kilper
Workshop presenters discussed ways to provide access to critical networking infrastructures for research and innovation activities in the EU, including exclusive testbeds such as OpenIreland, the Patras5G/P-NET Testbed, and Slices-RI.
Tutorials were given on how to use the U.S. open network testing platforms available as part of the ACCoRD project and COSMOS, one of the successful networking projects led by WINLAB. The COSMOS project aims to design, develop, and deploy a city-scale advanced wireless testbed to support real-world experiments with next-generation wireless technologies and applications.
Tracy Van Brakle, the lead member of the AT&T Labs technical staff, stressed the need for sustained and accessible testing resources and data as a part of NTIA acceleration goals. Van Brakle encouraged greater collaboration across industries to test, evaluate, and standardize wireless technologies. She also highlighted the role that public and private partnerships play in enabling greater cooperation to advance research and innovations in wireless technologies. Furthermore, she explained how the 6G-XCEL program could be an opportunity for EU-U.S. partners to be at the forefront of developing the next generation of communication systems.
Another presenter was Dan Kilper, director of the CONNECT center at Trinity College Dublin and 6G-XCEL project coordinator.
Kilper said, “6G-XCEL is unique in that it is not investigating a final solution but rather a framework for furthering research and developments, creating standards, and especially for benchmarking across testbeds to accelerate progress on this important topic of AI for 6G.
“This workshop is so important because it brings together researchers from the EU and the U.S. from the COSMOS testbed space to discuss the hardware firsthand and forge new collaborations.”
Ivan Seskar, chief WINLAB technologist, said, “The collaboration between the EU and U.S. on 6G, exemplified by projects like ACCoRD and COSMOS, creates unique opportunities for scaling 6G testbeds and developing interoperability frameworks.” Seskar is program director for COSMOS, responsible for experimental systems and prototyping projects.
“These efforts not only strengthen cross-continental innovation,” he said, “but also support industry and academic engagement in open-source initiatives, ensuring the research has practical, global applications.”
Toward a common 6G vision
The ambitious 6G-XCEL project strives to achieve long-term strategic goals to advance communication systems for partners in the EU and the U.S. A major component of the effort is the networking and cooperation between the EU and U.S. industry and partners with standardization bodies. The 6G-XCEL project aims to communicate with several standardization bodies involving the partners, such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, and the International Telecommunication Union.
In that sense, 6G-XCEL stands out as a unique cooperative project that prioritizes adding visibility of EU-U.S. research initiatives in 6G and building a framework that is adaptive and used by others rather than a research project.
The participants in the 6G-XCEL-ACCoRD workshop at Rutgers agreed to make open-source projects such as COSMOS financially viable and to engage the larger community—which requires more funding and a bigger vision.
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