This paper unveils the groundbreaking impact of Generative AI (GenAI) as the dawn of a transformative era in 5G/6G networks and beyond. Exploring its disruptive potential across the value chain—from network design to agile and robust automation—we showcase GenAI as a catalyst for innovation and unparalleled efficiency. While tracing its historical journey from conception to practical implementation

With the advent of mobile networks, we are witnessing an unprecedented shift in the landscape of mobile network services, evolving from traditional voice calls to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) services. This paper delves into the intricacies of this evolution, particularly emphasizing the deep integration of AI agents into 6G networks. Despite recent researches in using large language model

Large language models (LLMs) and foundation models have been recently touted as a game-changer for 6 G systems. However, recent efforts on LLMs for wireless networks are limited to a direct application of existing language models that were designed for natural language processing (NLP) applications. To address this challenge and create wireless-centric foundation models, this paper presents a comprehensive

In the evolving landscape of 5G networks, Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) emerges as a key component, interacting with core network elements to enhance data collection, model training, and analytical outcomes. Language Models (LLMs), with their state-of-the-art capabilities in natural language processing, have been successful in numerous fields. In particular, LLMs enhanced through instruction

As the deployment of 5G technology matures, the anticipation for 6G is growing, which promises to deliver faster and more reliable wireless connections via cutting-edge radio technologies. A pivot to these radio technologies is the effective management of large-scale antenna arrays, which aims to construct valid spatial streams to maximize system throughput. Traditional management methods predominantly

A conception of mobile edge generation (MEG) is proposed, where generative artificial intelligence (GAI) models are distributed at edge servers (ESs) and user equipment (UE), enabling joint execution of generation tasks. The overall object of MEG is to alleviate the immense network load caused by GAI service and to reduce user queuing times for accessing GAI service. Two MEG protocols are proposed

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) offers various services to users through content creation, which is believed to be one of the most important components in future networks. However, training and deploying big artificial intelligence models (BAIMs) introduces substantial computational and communication overhead. This poses a critical challenge to centralized approaches, due to the need of

Semantic Communication (SemCom) is envisaged as the next-generation paradigm to address challenges stemming from the conflicts between the increasing volume of transmission data and the scarcity of spectrum resources. However, existing SemCom systems face drawbacks, such as low explainability, modality rigidity, and inadequate reconstruction functionality. Recognizing the transformative capabilities

The sixth generation mobile network (6G) is evolving to provide ubiquitous connections, multidimensional perception, native intelligence, global coverage, etc., which poses intense demands for network design to tackle the highly dynamic context and diverse service requirements. Digital Twin (DT) is envisioned as an efficient method for designing 6G that migrates the behaviors of physical nodes to the

Intent-Based Networking (IBN) management has emerged as an alternative approach to simplify network configuration and management by abstracting the complexities of low-level configurations. Existing IBN solutions typically rely on human-readable structures like JSON or YAML to define Intents, which still require expertise in understanding these structures. A natural evolution of IBN is to use natural

The rapid expansion of AI-generated content (AIGC) reflects the iteration from assistive AI towards generative AI (GAI). Meanwhile, the 6G networks will also evolve from the Internet-of-Everything to the Internet-of-Intelligence. However, they seem to be an odd couple, due to the contradiction of data and resources. To achieve a better-coordinated interplay between GAI and 6G, the GAI-native Networks

The detriment of global warming caused by greenhouse gases emission involves all aspects of human existence, ranging from natural disasters to biological chain breaks. Cellular networks, especially 5G cellular networks not only provide the key digital infrastructure for promoting the digital information world but also produce massive carbon emission when the energy consumption of 5G cellular networks

Preserving privacy in communication and networking is of paramount importance in the Internet-of-Everything age of escalating surveillance and data collection. Anonymous communication is a cornerstone of this endeavor, enabling individuals to interact and exchange private information without disclosing their identities. However, achieving absolute security and privacy in classical anonymous networks

Errors are the fundamental barrier to the development of quantum systems. Quantum networks are complex systems formed by the interconnection of multiple components and suffer from error accumulation. Characterizing errors introduced by quantum network components becomes a fundamental task to overcome their depleting effects in quantum communication. Quantum Network Tomography (QNT) addresses end-to-end

As quantum network hardware has made significant progress in recent years, there is an increasing focus on enhancing both the infrastructure and the corresponding software of quantum networks. To establish a comprehensive quantum network, two key stacks are employed: the quantum node stack and the quantum control stack. In this survey, we first clearly distinguish between the quantum network and the

A quantum network comprises interconnected quantum servers capable of communication and collaboration for computational tasks. It is essential for quantum servers within this network to identify and authenticate one another. For instance, when a quantum server intends to execute a computational task on another machine, it becomes crucial for the quantum server to verify the authenticity of other quantum

As a shared and distributed database, blockchain empowers distributed edge computing (EC) networks with decentralization, integrity, and auditability of trust management. However, a bottleneck issue of blockchain-enabled decentralized trust management (B-DTM) lies in off-chain trust verification, since blockchain is a guarantee of on-chain trustworthiness rather than the reliability of off-chain trust

A quantum version of data centers might be significant in the quantum era. In this paper, we introduce Quantum Data Center (QDC) [1] , a quantum version of existing classical data centers, with a specific emphasis on combining Quantum Random Access Memory (QRAM) and quantum networks. We argue that QDC will provide significant benefits to customers in terms of efficiency, security, and precision, and

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offers a novel approach to address the challenges posed by quantum computations in classical ciphers. Due to hardware limitations and the stochastic nature of QKD protocols, the secure key generation rate is currently constrained and subject to fluctuations. However, users expect a consistent supply of keys at a stable rate while maintaining a secure threshold. To address

With the advent of sixth generation (6G) Internet of Things (IoT), integrated terrestrial network (TN) and non-terrestrial network (NTN) will play a vital role in enabling new applications and services. However, realizing the potential of 6G integrated TN-NTN requires addressing key challenges like intelligent and optimized control mechanisms for resource management, interference cancellation, and

Satellite communication plays a crucial role in supplementing blind areas and enhancing ubiquitous coverage, to meet the ubiquitous connectivity demands of the future 6G Internet of Things (IoT). As a vital means for integrated space-ground and the intelligent interconnectivity of everything in the future 6G system, Direct-to-Smartphone technology has emerged as a global development hotspot and got

Compared to the content-centric “read”-based Web 1.0 and the “read-write”-based Web 2.0, Web 3.0 is based on the “read-write-own” paradigm, which is user-centric. Web 3.0 applications are deployed decentralized and transparently, which prevents malicious programs from being set up. Metaverse shares the same ultimate vision as Web 3.0, which aims to provide inclusive, secure, trustworthy, and privacy-preserving

In this paper, we present a comprehensive approach that leverages the capabilities of blockchain technology to protect private data in 6G UAV networks. We propose a dual-layer structure UAV swarm model based on blockchain, aiming to enhance the security during collaborative mission execution and data sharing between UAVs, and ensure data integrity through the decentralized ledger of blockchain security

The Scanning the Literature column offers succinct overviews of recently published papers in the networking field. Each summary highlights the paper’s primary concept, methodology, and technical contributions. This column aims to keep IEEE Network magazine readers informed about the latest advancements in networking research. Authors are encouraged to recommend their newly published work for inclusion

With the increasing Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of the Internet of Things (IoT), Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) has undoubtedly become a new paradigm for locating various resources in the proximity of User Equipment (UE) to alleviate the workload of backbone IoT networks. Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) has gained widespread popularity as a preferred methodology, primarily due to its capability

Since 2008, the Korean government has instituted network separation technology, which physically isolates external internet networks from internal networks, aiming to thwart cyber-attacks. Consequently, the domestic financial sector was largely unaffected during global crises (2017 WannaCry ransomware outbreak and the 2021 Log4j vulnerability incident). However, there exist certain vulnerabilities

As a fundamental technology of the Metaverse, blockchain enables numerous Metaverse applications. However, the blockchain consensus mechanism’s high energy consumption and performance bottlenecks have become an impediment to the green and sustainable development of the Metaverse. To tackle this challenge, we propose a lightweight consensus service framework that amplifies the throughput of the multi-chain

This research enhances IoT services in 6G non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) by effectively incorporating multicast massive MIMO technology. Based on the Multicast–Broadcast Services (MBS) framework from 3GPP Release 17, we have developed a tailored framework specifically designed for 6G IoT environments. Key features of this framework include a bespoke system architecture, state-of-the-art multicast

The upcoming sixth generation (6G) wireless communication network is envisioned to cover space, air, and maritime areas, in addition to urban-centered terrestrial coverage by the fifth generation (5G) network, to support intelligent Internet of Things (IoT). Towards this end, we investigate structured integration of satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and terrestrial networks, aiming to serve

The requirement of wireless data demands is increasingly high as the sixth-generation (6G) technology evolves. Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) is promisingly deemed to be one of 6G techniques for extending service coverage, reducing power consumption, and enhancing spectral efficiency. In this article, we have provided some fundamentals of RIS deployment in theory and hardware perspectives

The upcoming 6G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) technology is expected to enable comprehensive connectivity of the Internet of Things (IoT) across various environments. The presence of a large number of IoT devices operating in diverse scenarios, along with the associated vast amounts of data, poses challenges in terms of security and privacy for the 6G NTN IoT networks. Therefore, blockchain technology

Recently, federated learning (FL) has been a hotspot for its capacity of data privacy protection and excellent performance under few-shot conditions for Internet of Things (IoT) services. Meanwhile, 6G non-terrestrial network (NTN) provides an effective and affordable option for enhancing IoT device connectivity. When FL meets NTN, various challenges and opportunities will emerge to promote technological

The Internet of Robots (IoR) is proficient in handling complex tasks in challenging environments, yet it encounters challenges related to service and scenario diversity, risk reduction, and ultra-low latency requirements. To address these challenges, we propose an integrated architecture that enhances the IoR’s adaptability, flexibility, robustness, and low latency. This is achieved through the introduction

Satellite networks (SNs) have emerged as a key enabler to provide global, ubiquitous and seamless Internet of Things (IoT) services in a flexible and affordable manner. Different from conventional delay-tolerant tasks, many intelligent IoT services are delay-sensitive, requiring scheduling methods to make fast decisions on dynamic computing and communication resource allocation. However, existing satellite