The 5G mobile communication system has evolved from people’s communication infrastructure to social infrastructure with the evolution of IoT and AI.
In the next generation, Beyond 5G/6G (B5G/6G), targeted for around 2030, cyberspace and physical space will be integrated and will play an important role as the reliable social infrastructure of a Super-Smart Society, called Society 5.0.
While 5G provides eMBB (Enhanced Mobile Broadband), URLLC (Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications), and mMTC (Massive Machine Type Communications) features, B5G/6G may improve these functions at least ten times with Tera-Hertz communications, low power consumption and high-accuracy positioning for supporting next-generation services and businesses. B5G/6G will also cover NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks) communications such as HAPS (High-altitude platform station) and GEO/LEO Satellites for providing anywhere and anytime connection by offering wide-area coverage and ensuring service availability, continuity, and scalability. In this context, satisfying various user requests and providing the desired Quality of Service (QoS) anytime and anywhere is one of the main challenges for B5G/6G communication systems.
NICT compiled a draft of the research and development plan for B5G/6G, called NICT B5G/6G white paper. We derived the requirements from the needs by backcasting from the future society around 2030, while repeatedly verifying the fundamental technologies by forecasting the seeds. Various use cases of B5G/6G are also created. In this talk, we will introduce the outline of the NICT B5G/6G White Paper and explain use cases of B5G/6G such as Cybernetic Avatar Society, Working at a Moon base, and Beyond space and time. We also discuss NICT’s research and development of fundamental technologies and open B5G/6G testbed for developing B5G/6G infrastructure.
About Hideyuki Tokuda
Hideyuki Tokuda is President of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) and Professor Emeritus of Keio University, Japan. He obtained his B.S. (1975), M.S. (1977) from Keio University and Ph.D. (Computer Science) (1983) from University of Waterloo, Canada, respectively.
After he completed Ph.D. in 1983, he joined School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University and worked on distributed real-time operating systems such as Real-Time Mach, the ARTS Kernel. In 1990, he came back to Keio University. His research and teaching interests include Ubiquitous Computing Systems, OS, Sensor Networks, IoT, Cyber-Physical Systems and Smart Cities. He was a Professor of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies and Executive Vice President of Keio. He was also an advisor to NISC (National center of Incident readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity).
Because of his research contribution, he was awarded Motorola Foundation Award, IBM Faculty Award, IPSJ Achievement Award, Information Security Cultural Award, MEXT Award in Japan. He is a member of the Science Council of Japan, Chair of Smart IoT Acceleration Forum, Vice President of Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium, IPSJ President, IPSJ Fellow, JSSST Fellow, JFES Fellow and a past-chair of IEEE Tokyo Section.