6G architecture looks like a smarter 5G, not a clean slate

Panelists at an OpenSignal session agreed 5G Standalone, not Non-Standalone, should anchor 6G, though only about 20% of commercial 5G deployments have reached SA. 3GPP Release 20 is studying a dedicated AI domain in the 6G core to process intents from devices and third-party agents.

• Only ~20% of commercial 5G networks run Standalone, the intended 6G base
• 3GPP Release 20 studies a dedicated AI domain in the 6G core
• Multi-radio spectrum sharing adds only a couple of percentage points of overhead
• AI and ISAC are already being pulled from 6G plans into current networks