Toward 6G wireless communication networks: outlining the control of public policies in Brazil

Purpose In mission to assess the results of public policies about governance, planning and management operations, Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) stand out as institutions with powers and duties directly attributed to them by the Federal Constitution. This paper aims to discuss the main requirements of public policies for implementing sixth-generation (6G) in Brazil and a control strategy carried out by the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) to ensure the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the future mobile service to be provided in the country. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses qualitative research based on previous literature and analysis of the Brazilian mobile communications scenario. This leads to a strategy to inform future research and auditing practices. Findings The 6G technology will require policymakers to develop a new regulatory agenda capable of providing equality of service to the population, optimizing investments and meeting the technological criteria required by the next mobile generation. Therefore, it is vitally important that the SAI, through new oversight strategies, has a holistic understanding of the development and deployment of 6G in the national territory, the coordination of the various stakeholders, efficiency in the application of public resources and the promotion of digital inclusion. Research limitations/implications Given policymakers’ lack of strategic planning for the dissemination of 6G, it is difficult to accurately predict all the issues in the proposed auditing strategy. Practical implications 6G mobile network technology will set new standards to meet performance requirements currently unattainable by fifth-generation networks. This is due to the need for a more robust, intelligent, ultra-low latency network with extreme data rates and support for a wide range of interconnected applications. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by providing an approach to the main auditing parameters from the perspective of external control for the successful deployment of 6G technology in Brazil. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first work in this area.