IEEE releases first version of network development roadmap

IEEE and the IEEE Future Networks Initiative released the first version of the IEEE International Network Development Roadmap (INGR). The group believes that INGR is a reference tool that can help identify and reduce technical and engineering risks associated with all aspects of future development and deployment of next-generation networks, with more than 20 IEEE organizations participating in the IEEE Future Networks Initiative.

The release of INGR focuses on technology trends that will affect the core of 5G and 6G design challenges, laying the foundation for these applications.

INGR will help guide operators, regulators, manufacturers, researchers, governments, and others involved in developing the 5G and beyond 6G ecosystems. The first edition includes chapters from nine working groups:

Applications and Services

Edge Automation Platforms

Millimeter Wave and Signal Processing

Hardware for mmWave

Massive MIMO

Satellite

Standardization Building Blocks

Security

Testbeds

“The International Network Development Roadmap is part of the IEEE Future Networks initiative, which recognizes that networks are more than a single technology, standard, organization, or region,” said Ashutosh Dutta, co-chair of IEEE Future Networks. “IEEE Future Networks is working with researchers, scientists, engineers, and policymakers around the world from industry, academia, and government to address challenges and uncover opportunities related to current and future networks.”

The first edition of INGR will be supplemented by six white papers, which will be released in early 2020 on topics such as deployment, optics, system optimization, energy efficiency, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and the unconnected. Forecasts are provided over three, five, and ten-year horizons, with annual updates planned.