The Next Generation Network in 2030: Applications, Services, and Enabling Technologies

Abstract

Advances in multimedia enable new services for humans and smart objects. By the year 2030, the forthcoming network will implement new capabilities for richer and more interactive applications. In addition to broadband and low latency services, precise communications and qualitative communications will be supported by the next generation network 2030. This allows providing composed services such as Holographic Type Communications, Multisensorial Communications, Emergency Communications and Collaborative Robots (or Cobots). Complexity and application software should not be confined only to external network nodes (i.e., user terminals and servers) but internal nodes should support the communication and the synchronization among sub-flows coming from different sources in order to guarantee the precise data delivery at a given point. Based on generic applications (e.g., industrial automation, health, automotive, entertainment and education), the network 2030 will provide specific applications such as remote surgery, machine collaboration and virtual laboratories. Finally, the main envisaged enabling technologies are increasing the service bandwidth and the number of access points, adopting the artificial intelligence at any level and any segment of the network, deploying Reconfigurable Intelligent Meta-surfaces and exploiting all potentials of each given kind of architecture such as terrestrial, aerial and space.