Perspectives on 6G Architectures

Mobile communications have been undergoing a generational change every ten years. While 5G network deployments are maturing, significant efforts are being made to standardize 6G, which is expected to be commercially introduced by 2030. This article provides unique perspectives on the 6G network (radio and core) architecture(s) from the anticipated 6G use cases to meet the necessary performance requirements. To cater to key 6G use cases, the 6G architecture must integrate different network-level functions in a multiplicity of virtual cloud environments, leveraging the advancements of distributed processing and artificial intelligence, and securely integrating different sub-networks — for example — terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, into the overall 6G network. This article characterizes the impact of 6G architectures from a deployment perspective with backwards compatibility in mind.