2023 is a critical year for the standardization of 5G-Advanced, and the ITU has already launched the standardization progress for 6G. In this context, the FuTURE FORUM is stepping up its efforts to promote research and cooperation on cutting-edge technologies for the next generation of wireless communications.

On May 25th, after a long hiatus, the 5G/6G SIG Working Group held an offline conference. Dozens of representatives from industry, academia, and research institutions gathered together to engage in extensive discussions on cutting-edge technologies, standardization, security, quantum computing, and other related topics regarding 5G/6G.

Chih-Lin I, Chairman of the 5G/6G SIG Working Group and Chief Scientist of China Mobile Research Institute, said that member units of the working group could use their experience with 5G as a basis for reflecting on 6G, adopt an open-minded approach to exploring technological possibilities, distinguish between what can be done and what cannot be done, and engage in comprehensive discussions and communication about the potential value that can be shared and unlocked with the advent of 6G in the future.

Zhang Xinsheng, Vice President of FuTURE FORUM, stated that the 5G&6G Working Group, the World 5G Convention, and the Global 6G Conference were the three pillars of the FuTURE Forum's work, and are highly interrelated to each other. Especially in driving the development of 5G, FuTURE FORUM has made significant efforts in areas such as network infrastructure, vertical industry applications, and future development. At present, the working group should focus on developing a comprehensive strategy for the advancement of 6G that truly reflects the needs and demands of the industry. He hoped that the working group meetings could be a platform for sharing ideas and learning new things, and also wished to see more breakthroughs in aggregation technology.

During the meeting, representatives from universities, operators, and ICT companies gave engaging presentations on cutting-edge technology related to their respective fields.

Qin Zhijin, an expert from Tsinghua University (THU) specializing in semantic communication research, said that 6G services would likely introduce new applications such as multimodal AR and VR and intelligent interaction. Qin also noted that semantic communication could tackle the problems and challenges of traditional communication systems from three dimensions: semantic channel capacity theory, semantic representation and structural coding, and semantic-channel joint coding. This approach was particularly well-suited for scenarios such as the metaverse. Zhao Yajun from ZTE introduced that reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) is a fundamental enabling technology for 6G networks, which requires a clear understanding of network coexistence, sharing, and control models of RIS. At the same time, it is also important to pay close attention to other network deployment challenges, such as the deployment of control links between the network and RIS, and the selection of ubiquitous deployment vs. station deployment. Chen Li, an expert from CICT Mobile, said during the meeting that when it came to 6G access network technology, it was necessary to start from the perspective of user needs. This included satisfying demands for extremely fluctuating data rates and QoS requirements, achieving flexible and efficient network operation and maintenance, minimizing network operation costs, and ensuring multi-layer network security and integrity protection.

Regarding security, Du Haitao, an expert from China Mobile Research Institute, introduced that based on the "3-body, 4-layer, 5-layer" architecture of the 6G network, an intrinsic security framework could be designed for 6G. By focusing on research (including device construction) and standardization, a gradually achievable intrinsic security solution could be implemented. Yuan Qi, an expert from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), stated that 6G poses security risks in several areas, including access networks, virtualization, intrinsic architecture security, intelligence, infrastructure, heterogeneous network integration, data and user privacy security, and space-air-ground integration. The security objectives for 6G include achieving collaborative security across the network, developing intrinsic immunity to protect against threats, implementing intelligent and adaptive security measures in trusted networks, establishing resilient and autonomous security for flexible networks, and ensuring multi-dimensional data security and privacy protection. Li Jian, an expert from Huawei, stated that in order to make 6G networks "trustworthy" rather than merely secure, it is necessary to move beyond a single trust model and adopt multiple trust models. This will require the introduction of new attributes, such as trustworthiness, new theories, such as integrated cryptography and coding, and comprehensive security measures, such as measurement and protection. Additionally, it will require the full integration of telecommunications and security.

Cao Yiqing, a Qualcomm expert involved in standardization work, has outlined several crucial KPIs in the system design objectives for expanding 6G capabilities. These KPIs include connectivity, AI and computing, system resilience, integrated sensing, and green networks. The design of 6G aims to meet the KPIs of both enhanced traditional communication requirements and new features.

Yuan Yannan, an expert at Vivo, introduced the "data plane" technology in relation to 6G services, stating that the data requirements for 6G services are driven by two factors. Firstly, there is the ubiquitous need for data collection, and secondly, there is the need to ensure new service quality and transfer data within the network. And the data plane can meet common data needs such as data collection and distribution, the common data transmission requirements for network-native new services, as well as the needs for data property differences, business logic differences, network function logic clarity, and user-friendly terminal design.

Green and low-carbon development has always been a hot topic for sustainable development and a focus of attention for telecommunication operators. With the commercialization of 5G and the development of 6G, energy consumption will become increasingly important. In response, Guo Jing, an expert from China Telecom Research Institute, stated that their team is also working on the "White Paper on Network Energy-saving Technology" and will focus on analyzing the challenges that network energy consumption faces, such as higher frequency points, larger bandwidth, greater computational power, and more new applications.

Considering the cross-disciplinary nature of 6G development, system design and network operation will encounter greater challenges in terms of computing power and algorithms. Quantum computing's advantage in parallel computing over classical computing has emerged as a potential solution to address these challenges. According to Pan Chengkang, an expert from China Mobile's Future Research Institute, quantum computing will have a profound impact on information and communication. It will accelerate network optimization, machine learning, and signal processing while bringing new resources to computational networks that will enhance network capabilities and business quality. Moreover, quantum computing will disrupt the traditional cryptographic system and drive 6G into the post-quantum cryptography era. Guo Xin, an expert from Lenovo, also said that Lenovo would take the lead in publishing a white paper on quantum information technology, exploring how quantum mechanisms could enhance information science and utilize quantum parallelism, a computing method with high efficiency. The white paper will focus on two aspects: quantum secure communication and quantum computing.

During the meeting, attendees actively engaged in discussions and interactions regarding the topics they were researching, creating a relaxing and lively atmosphere.

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During the working group meeting, Li Jie, Director-General of the FuTURE FORUM, shared the forum's recent work plans. Li emphasized that the forum will focus on promoting the coordinated development of frontier fields that support the development of 6G technology. The forum will comprehensively advance research in core areas such as 6G Vision and Use Cases, 6G Network Architecture, New 6G Air Interface & High-performance Wireless Transmission Technology, 6G Coverage Expansion & NTN Enhancement, and 6G Network Security and Reliable Architecture.

Based on the discussions during this meeting, member units of the 5G/6G SIG Working Group of FuTURE FORUM plan to release multiple white papers this year. These papers will cover a range of topics, including potential key technologies for 6G security, 6G network architecture design, 6G data plane, 6G access network technology, quantum information technology, network energy-saving technology, and Chat GPT and communication.