Federated Learning for 6G Networks: Navigating Privacy Benefits and Challenges

The upcoming Sixth Generation (6G) networks aim for fully automated, intelligent network functionalities and services. Therefore, Machine Learning (ML) is essential for these networks. Given stringent privacy regulations, future network architectures should use privacy-preserved ML for their applications and services. Federated Learning (FL) is expected to play an important role as a popular approach for distributed ML, as it protects privacy by design. However, many practical challenges exist before FL can be fully utilized as a key technology for these future networks. We consider the vision of a 6G layered architecture to evaluate the applicability of FL-based distributed intelligence. In this paper, we highlight the benefits of using FL for 6G and the main challenges and issues involved. We also discuss the existing solutions and the possible future directions that should be taken toward more robust and trustworthy FL for future networks.