# On the Road to 6G: Visions, Requirements, Key Technologies and Testbeds

## TL;DR

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of 6G visions, requirements, key technologies, testbeds, and future research directions, aiming to shape the ongoing global discussion on next-generation wireless systems.

## Contribution

It offers the first detailed review of existing 6G testbeds and verification platforms, and critically appraises the network architecture and key technologies for 6G.

## Key findings

- Detailed portrayal of 6G vision and scenarios
- Critical analysis of 6G network architecture and technologies
- Overview of existing 6G testbeds and platforms

## Abstract

Fifth generation (5G) mobile communication systems have entered the stage of commercial development, providing users with new services and improved user experiences as well as offering a host of novel opportunities to various industries. However, 5G still faces many challenges. To address these challenges, international industrial, academic, and standards organizations have commenced research on sixth generation (6G) wireless communication systems. A series of white papers and survey papers have been published, which aim to define 6G in terms of requirements, application scenarios, key technologies, etc. Although ITU-R has been working on the 6G vision and it is expected to reach a consensus on what 6G will be by mid-2023, the related global discussions are still wide open and the existing literature has identified numerous open issues. This paper first provides a comprehensive portrayal of the 6G vision, technical requirements, and application scenarios, covering the current common understanding of 6G. Then, a critical appraisal of the 6G network architecture and key technologies is presented. Furthermore, existing testbeds and advanced 6G verification platforms are detailed for the first time. In addition, future research directions and open challenges are identified for stimulating the on-going global debate. Finally, lessons learned to date concerning 6G networks are discussed.