6G: From Connectivity Infrastructure to Guaranteed Digital Services
2026-07-27 • Networking and Internet Architecture
Networking and Internet Architecture
AI summaryⓘ
The authors explain that sixth-generation (6G) mobile networks should give more control back to operators, focusing on customer needs and reliable business outcomes rather than just faster speeds. They propose a new framework with five priorities like controlled software operations and clear AI oversight. To support this, they introduce concepts like the Control Compact for architecture control, the Guarantee Economy for outcome-based service levels, and a Network MCP Platform for secure AI integration. They also outline standardization views and a three-phase plan for development and deployment of 6G technologies.
6Gmobile networksartificial intelligencenetwork architectureControl CompactGuarantee EconomyNetwork MCP PlatformOpen RANservice-level objectivesstandardization
Authors
David Soldani, Petrit Nahi, Awn Muhammad, Nikhil Dwivedi, Francesco Monaco, Francis Jebamani
Abstract
Sixth-generation mobile networks are approaching a structural inflection point. Five generations of vendor-led architecture have left operators dependent on platforms they cannot fully modify and artificial-intelligence inference layers they cannot audit. This article argues that 6G should reverse that trajectory by reordering five priorities: control first; customer outcomes before peak rates; business guarantees before megabytes; software-driven operations with governed agentic artificial intelligence; and technology in service of those priorities. Four contributions operationalize the thesis. The Control Compact is an own-federate-consume taxonomy that allocates architectural sovereignty by strategic value. The Guarantee Economy is a six-tier outcome-priced model aligned with IMT-2030 usage scenarios and converts operator control into enforceable service-level objectives. An operator-grade Network MCP Platform shows how autonomous agents could enter the service-based architecture through a governed tool plane with auditable hooks for identity, charging, lawful intercept, enforcement, and digital-twin validation. A standardization section states Rakuten Mobile's public position on AI-agent scope, radio access, migration, non-terrestrial networks, physical layer, core, and spectrum. The framework distinguishes operational evidence from national-scale cloud-native Open RAN and core network deployments, standards-grounded extrapolation, and forward-looking architecture and commercial proposals. A three-phase roadmap separates standards milestones from operator deployment targets and identifies validation gates and stakeholder implications.