Distributed computing will take center stage of 6G deployments, building on the support role so-called “edge-to-cloud” compute resources have played with ongoing 5G deployments, according to an ABI Research report.

This transition will require vendors and operators to have a “sound distributed computing and artificial intelligence strategy to underpin successful 6G commercial deployment and enterprise use case enablement,” the research firm noted.

“6G networks will need to be deployed across distributed computing domains with integrated edge AI resources to provide effective services for enterprise applications,” Reece Hayden, distributed and edge computing analyst at ABI Research, explained.

6G remains a nebulous concept as standards work has yet to officially begin. However, many expect the technology will include increased reliance on distributed cloud and edge computing resources, and a further push up the spectrum scale.

Japan’s NTT DoCoMo, for instance, recently aligned equipment vendors Nokia, NEC, and Fujitsu to develop 6G technologies that tap into advanced networking and transmission capabilities. The work is targeted at networks that are expected to roll out beginning around 2030.

The “experimental trials” are focused on a broad scope of spectrum bands, including work at bands above 100 GHz, or what are termed sub-terahertz (THz). These bands are currently open to large swaths of unencumbered spectrum that is needed to support higher network speeds.

The cloud ecosystem is set to have a greater influence on the standard plans, with some noting that influence will accelerate work.

“There are new ecosystem players … the Azures, the Amazons, the VMwares of the world that frankly have the ability here in the next couple of years to actually set up and configure networks in a matter of days and weeks,” Ronny Haraldsvik, CMO and SVP for business development at Cohere Technologies, stated during the recent ConnectX event.

This notion is already playing out with operators running their 5G networks as containerized functions on top of large cloud providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. But, some point to the need for greater standardization on these deployments to drive broader adoption.

Andrew De La Torre, group VP of technology at Oracle Communications, explained that one challenge has been the market’s current lack of a standard way to deploy cloud-based open architectures. This has forced each deployment to basically be a custom job.

“Every operator we’re working with so far is choosing to build almost a unique cloud environment to them and that is creating a lot of complexity because the initial deployments are all learning experiences because they’re all unique,” De La Torre, said in an interview with SDxCentral. “And I do think one of the things that we could do better as an industry and as equipment providers … is to try and drive a bit more uniformity in that space and try and get some more standardized models to help operators with their deployments.”

Cohere Technologies’ Haraldsvik does not think this challenge will impede progress.

“Will the first iteration of 6G be all standardized and 3GPP endorsed? Probably not,” Haraldsvik said. “But will it be endorsed by big cloud players and some forward thinking, innovative companies and operators like Rakuten and maybe Dish? We think so.”

ABI Research’s Hayden agreed that the standardization process “will not be simple,” but “will be essential to overcoming the knowledge gaps and investment costs that could trouble telco-led technological convergence.”

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