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The changing business ecosystems in 5G will further change 3.2 Sustainable development through the UN SDG
in 6G [20-21], where new roles emerge to serve the diverging framework
needs with different resource combinations. While MNO
market dominance is expected to continue in 5G, future 6G The actual development towards sustainability, i.e.,
connectivity solutions will be driven by new market players sustainable development, is thoroughly characterized in the
[20-21]. There will be a range of needs from human and UN SDG framework that presents 17 goals with 169 targets
machine users in different verticals, both from public and whose achievement is monitored through 231 individual
private sectors, in their attempts to renew their operations indicators [9]. In the UN SDG framework, 7 indicators are
towards sustainability goals. The resources and assets considered to be ICT-related and connected to 4 of the 17
needed will be provided by a range of stakeholders for SDGs. However, there is a much closer connection between
physical infrastructure, equipment, and data, under their ICT, especially mobile communications, and the UN SDGs,
respective regulatory frameworks. Needs and resources are as outlined in [23-24]. The role of mobile communications is
brought together through matching resources from different fundamental for many UN SDGs through the three layers: 1)
stakeholders via new stakeholder roles, including different deployment of infrastructure and networks forming the
kinds of operators, resource brokers, and various service and needed foundation for digital economy; 2) access and
application providers [20-21]. connectivity through providing people the opportunity to use
mobile communications; and 3) enabling services and
This development depends on spectrum availability in the relevant content that provides life-enhancing services for
given area, at the time of interest, for the deployment of any people [23]. A connection between the UN SDG framework
wireless network. Local mobile communication networks and 6G was established in [7] and further detailed in [8]. The
can be deployed by the traditional MNOs using their existing WPC paper further details the linkage between all 17 UN
spectrum bands. For others, future operations are fully SDGs and mobile communications.
dependent on regulators’ spectrum decisions, which in 5G
spectrum awards has become a major differentiating factor Prior research on ICT and UN SDGs in [25] has used the
among countries leading to different competitive advantages. classification of economic, social and environmental UN
SDGs by introducing a division for the 17 SDGs into these
3. STATE OF THE ART OF THE ROLE OF three categories. From the SDG, Wu et al. (2018) divide #1,
SUSTAINABILITY AND SUSTAINABLE #2, #3, #8 and #9 to economic SDGs, #4, #5, #10, #11, #16
DEVELOPMENT IN 6G AND 6G and #17 to social SDGs, and #6, #7, #12, #13, #14, and #15
to environmental SDGs. However, this split is over-
This section investigates the big goal of sustainability and simplistic as all SDGs have aspects relevant of the triple
the needed sustainable development to reach this goal in the bottom line restricting the usefulness of such splitting. The
context of future 6G networks. goals presented in the UN SDG framework are highly
interrelated and the achievement of one target can negatively
3.1 Sustainability impact another target which is why looking at the UN SDGs
independently is not enough.
Sustainability’s importance has increased recently to become
the single most influential driver of operations across sectors. Wireless research has investigated the environmental bottom
Elkington noted in [1] that driving companies’ sustainability line of sustainability through energy and other resource
requires dramatic changes in their performance against the efficiencies for a long time, especially regarding green
triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental communications. The 20 years of research on green radios
areas. In particular, what is between these areas can be of summarized in [26] consider spectrum efficiency and energy
specific importance. Stringent requirements are starting to efficiency in wireless networks and end-user devices as
emerge to different verticals and the mobile communications essential for sustainability through a multitude of methods.
sector can help other vertical sectors in their renewal of Wireless communications have fundamental green trade-offs
operations towards reaching sustainability. from the theoretical relations between the pairs of spectrum
efficiency, energy efficiency, deployment efficiency, delay,
Authors in [22] outlined economic, social, and power, and bandwidth, which are reviewed for 5G networks
environmental sustainability aspects in the context of 6G and in [27].
outlined research challenges for 6G. Economic sustainability
should have no negative consequences on social or The role of MNOs is crucial in the sustainability of mobile
environmental sustainability, social sustainability should not communications and an MNO perspective on 5G is
compromise economic or environmental sustainability, and presented in [28], where energy consumption of the radio
environmental sustainability should not sacrifice social or access network is evaluated in different load conditions.
economic sustainability. Another MNO view is given in [29] on the environmental
and economic feasibility of MNOs becoming carbon neutral,
combining two of the bottom lines. Authors in [30] present
methods for evaluating and reducing the network’s energy
consumption. This need for resource efficiency, especially
energy efficiency, is important towards the future wireless

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