6G in the Sky: On-Demand Intelligence at the Edge of 3D Networks

TL;DR

This paper explores a 6G architecture integrating satellite, aerial, and terrestrial platforms to enable on-demand, low-latency edge services in 3D space through AI-driven orchestration of communication, computation, and caching resources.

Contribution

It proposes a novel 3D network architecture combining ground and aerial nodes with AI-based resource management for on-demand edge services.

Findings

Integration of satellite, aerial, and terrestrial platforms enhances 3D coverage.

AI algorithms enable dynamic orchestration of C3 resources.

Supports personalized, low-latency services in 3D space.

Abstract

6G will exploit satellite, aerial and terrestrial platforms jointly to improve radio access capability and to unlock the support of on-demand edge cloud services in the three dimensional space (3D) by incorporating Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) functionalities on aerial platforms and low orbit satellites. This will extend the MEC support to devices and network elements in the sky and will forge a space borne MEC enabling intelligent personalized and distributed on demand services. 3D end users will experience the impression of being surrounded by a distributed computer fulfilling their requests in apparently zero latency. In this paper, we consider an architecture providing communication, computation, and caching (C3) services on demand, anytime and everywhere in 3D space, building on the integration of conventional ground (terrestrial) base stations and flying (non-terrestrial) nodes. Given the complexity of the overall network, the C3 resources and the management of the aerial devices need to be jointly orchestrated via AI-based algorithms, exploiting virtualized networks functions dynamically deployed in a distributed manner across terrestrial and non-terrestrial nodes.