Edge Computing in the Internet of Things: A 6G Perspective

Edge computing is one of the key driving forces to enable beyond 5G (B5G) and 6G networks. To cope with the unprecedented increase in traffic volumes and computation demands of future networks, multiaccess (or mobile) edge computing (MEC) is considered a promising solution that provides cloud computing capabilities within the radio access network. There exists a significant amount of research on MEC and its potential applications; however, very little has been said about the key factors of MEC deployment to meet the diverse demands of future applications. This article presents key considerations for edge deployments in B5G/6G networks, including edge architecture, server location, capacity, user density, security, etc. We further present state-of-the-art edge-centric services in future B5G/6G networks, including experimental evaluation of edge-based computing. Lastly, we present some interesting insights and open research problems in edge computing for 6G networks.