Visions for 6G Futures: a Causal Layered Analysis

This study extends and deepens the joint 6G vision building stemming from use cases, enabling technologies, key performance indicators (KPIs), key value indicators (KVIs), and business scenario litanies towards the social, the worldview, and the metaphors layers utilizing causal layered analysis (CLA) method. 6G visions are explored from different national perspectives assessing future initiatives from China, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the US. The multiple ideologies and epistemes of the stakeholders are mapped to create a transformed future vision emphasizing the importance of 6G design from the triple bottom line of sustainability, including social, economic, and environmental perspectives. Collaborative research, harmonized standardization, and anticipatory regulation efforts were found essential in developing trustworthy and general-purpose 6G technologies for users and developers.