6G
6G denotes the next generation of mobile cellular systems, framed internationally as IMT-2030 by ITU-R and studied in 3GPP from Release 18 (5G Advanced) onward with dedicated 6G work items accelerating in Release 19–21. Commercial deployment is widely targeted for around 2030, following the typical decade-long cycle after 5G (IMT-2020). Unlike incremental 5G releases, 6G research programmes emphasise a native integration of AI/ML in the air interface and the core (not only as an overlay analytics function), Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) — using radio resources jointly for connectivity and environment sensing — and exploration of sub-terahertz and advanced MIMO for extreme capacity and sensing resolution. Energy efficiency, ubiquitous coverage (including NTN/satellite as a first-class component), and trustworthy / resilient network operation are recurring design goals across regional initiatives (Europe’s Hexa-X / Hexa-X-II, Korea’s 6G R&D, Japan’s Beyond 5G, and industry forums such as Next G Alliance in North America).