Page 25 - Kaleidoscope Academic Conference Proceedings 2021

SUSTAINABILITY AND SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT IN THE 6G ERA

Marja Matinmikko-Blue

Centre for Wireless Communications (CWC), University of Oulu, Finland

ABSTRACT Today’s wireless and mobile communication R&D activities
in academia, industry and regulation are increasingly
The goal of sustainability and the required sustainable addressing the use of 5G networks and other technologies in
development to reach this goal call for a significant renewal different vertical sectors of society, such as industry,
of operations to solve fundamental challenges facing healthcare, and energy, serving their specialized needs in
societies. The role of ICT and wireless communications is specific geographical locations. Its roots are in the
critical in realizing the twin transition of green and digital. emergence of new local 5G operator models [2-3] leading to
The wireless and mobile communications community has new business models and ecosystems [4], calling for a
taken sustainability as the key goal driving the whole R&D reconsideration of the existing regulatory framework [5]. In
of the next generation of mobile communication networks recent years, several regulators have taken 5G spectrum
(6G) aiming at deployment in 2030s. Understanding the actions that make it possible for different stakeholders to
triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental operate their own local networks to serve a variety of user
sustainability together with the concrete United Nations groups through local spectrum licensing [5-6]. This
Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) with specific paradigm shift from only Mobile Network Operator (MNO)
targets and indicators are fundamental for 6G R&D but their cellular networks towards opening the market for new local
linkages are not yet clear. This paper investigates networks, established by a variety of stakeholders, brings the
sustainability and sustainable development in the context of networks closer to the different vertical sectors of society,
6G. A special focus is on the management of the fundamental which face urgent need to renew their operations to meet
natural resource for wireless communications, namely the sustainability requirements set by governments.
radio spectrum whose management keeps getting ever more
complex. The paper highlights the role of new sharing-based Recent 6G research has been built on the consensus of
spectrum governance models, to rapidly respond to the needs addressing sustainability and required sustainable
of the changing world towards a sustainable future. development actions from the beginning of development [7].
This early agreement on sustainability being the key driver
Keywords – 5G, 6G, mobile communications, regulation, for 6G development from 2019 [7] was further detailed in [8],
spectrum management, sustainability, sustainable by linking 6G and the United Nations Sustainable
development, UN SDG Development Goals (UN SDGs) through indicators. This
connection opens a new consideration on how wireless
1. INTRODUCTION networks could assist in the collection of data necessary for
the achievement of sustainable development targets [9].
Sustainability has become the major long-term goal of Other parallel 6G research efforts have similarly taken
operations of all sectors of society and the ICT sector is no sustainability as the fundamental driver, e.g., see [10].
exception. In general, sustainability refers to the “principle
of ensuring that our actions today do not limit the range of While sustainability through the triple bottom line of
economic, social, and environmental options open to future economic, social, and environmental sustainability from [1]
generations” [1]. Sustainable development, on the other hand, and the needed sustainable development through the UN
refers to the “development that meets the needs of the present SDG framework [9] are of utmost importance for 6G R&D,
without compromising the ability of future generations to their complex relationship has not been thoroughly
meet their own needs”, as defined in the World Commission addressed. The dual role of ICT, or more specifically mobile
on Environment and Development’s 1987 Brundtland report communications, as a provider of services to help other
´Our Common Future`. Sustainability can significantly sectors reach sustainability goals and the sector’s own
benefit from the use of wireless and mobile communications sustainability impact are two different facets that both need
technologies. careful analysis and strategic actions, e.g., see [11]. While
helping others via mobile communications is critical, the
wireless sector, however, has to incorporate of sustainability

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