Sixth generation mobile networks are already taking shape long before standardization is complete.
While 5G is still being deployed globally, researchers, network vendors, and standards bodies are actively defining what 6G must become. The goals are ambitious. Higher capacity, lower latency, better energy efficiency, AI-native networks, sensing capabilities, and integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial connectivity are all part of the vision.
This in-depth research eBook from Keysight Technologies explores the technologies, performance targets, and architectural decisions shaping the future of 6G. It provides a practical, engineering-driven view of how the industry is moving from early research to physical layer design and eventually toward standardization and commercialization 6G Research and Innovation_ Fro….
Rather than treating 6G as a revolution, the report explains why 6G is best understood as a carefully engineered evolution beyond 5G that fixes existing limitations and enables entirely new capabilities.
You will learn how:
- 6G is being designed as a standalone architecture from day one
- Keysight Technologies supports 6G research using digital twins and rapid prototyping
- New spectrum in the FR3 band from 7.125 to 24.5 GHz will expand capacity
- Massive, extreme, and gigantic MIMO will compensate for higher frequency losses
- AI and machine learning will be embedded across PHY, MAC, and RAN layers
- New waveform enhancements will evolve from the 5G OFDM baseline
- Energy efficiency will become a core end-to-end design requirement
- Integrated sensing and communications will enable sensing as a service
- Non-terrestrial networks will become part of the native 6G architecture
The eBook begins by setting realistic expectations for 6G. It explains how unmet promises of 5G such as mmWave deployment challenges, non-standalone architectures, and energy efficiency gaps are directly influencing 6G priorities. Unlike 5G, 6G is expected to be standalone from the start, with spectrum sharing enabling coexistence with earlier generations.
A major focus of the report is the physical layer. Early 6G research explores two parallel approaches. One evolves the existing 5G NR PHY. The other starts from a blank design to test entirely new concepts. This work is already shaping decisions around waveforms, channel coding, modulation, and AI-assisted optimization.
Waveform research confirms that CP-OFDM and DFT-s-OFDM will remain the baseline, with enhancements to improve uplink coverage, power efficiency, and spectral efficiency. Alternative candidates such as OTFS and OSDM are being evaluated for specific use cases such as high mobility and satellite connectivity, but only if they demonstrate clear advantages over the existing baseline.
Spectrum strategy is another critical pillar. The report explains why 6G will rely heavily on the upper midband FR3 range rather than jumping directly to sub-THz frequencies. To make this viable, advanced massive MIMO and beamforming will be required to offset higher path loss and maintain coverage.
Multi-RAT spectrum sharing will allow 5G and 6G to coexist efficiently in the same bands. This avoids costly and disruptive spectrum refarming while enabling a gradual transition to 6G as devices become available.
AI and machine learning are positioned as foundational technologies for 6G. The eBook details how AI will be used for CSI compression, beam prediction, channel estimation, energy optimization, and full duplex operation. AI will also reshape the RAN through Open RAN architectures and AI-native network management.
Non-terrestrial networks represent another major architectural shift. 6G will natively integrate satellite and aerial platforms to deliver ubiquitous coverage. This requires new PHY designs capable of handling extreme Doppler shifts, long delays, and spectrum sharing between terrestrial and non-terrestrial systems.
Integrated sensing and communications introduces a new monetization opportunity. By using the same infrastructure for both communication and sensing, operators can offer services such as object detection, environment mapping, and localization even for targets not connected to the network.
A central theme of the eBook is the role of digital twins. Keysight demonstrates how large-scale and high-fidelity digital twins allow researchers to simulate, test, and validate 6G technologies before real-world deployment. Digital twins also generate synthetic data for training AI models and validating network behavior at scale.
The report is designed for telecom researchers, network equipment vendors, chipset developers, standards contributors, and advanced engineering teams who are shaping the future of mobile networks.
Download the eBook from Keysight Technologies to understand how 6G is being designed from the physical layer up and how AI, spectrum strategy, sensing, and digital twins will define the next generation of wireless communication.
