6G's monetization puzzle: From sensing to physical AI

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6G should be monetized through intelligence, automation and measurable business outcomes rather than connectivity or smartphone speed alone, as was the case in the 5G era. That was the conclusion of a panel during the recent RCR Wireless 6G Forum, when participants attempted to pin down how the telecoms industry might do a better job of deriving value from investments in the next generation of mobile technology from 2030 and beyond.

Rana Kamill, senior network architecture and standards manager at BT, said it is "still not 100% certain" which will be the "winning use cases that are definitely going to generate huge income," remarking that plenty of use cases – "maybe close to a thousand" – have been presented to the 3GPP SA1 working group (where SA stands for "service and system aspects").

"5G improved connectivity, but we believe that 6G should improve experiences. So AI-powered services, seamless connectivity that works anywhere, anytime, with the performance that the user needs. So the industry must start with a business problem, not just the technology," she said.

Related:Lockheed Martin preps drone detection service using Verizon 5G

One topic that continues to generate interest is integrated sensing and communications (ISAC). Kamill said BT has been looking closely at this area and believes integrated sensing "could create very good opportunities for 6G. So basically, the network can detect things like drones, vehicles, and people, not just carry data."

Stephen Douglas, head of strategic thought leadership at test and measurement specialist Keysight Technologies, agreed that sensing is a "dominant" area of interest right now, with two key applications: drone sensing, and sensing within robotics for use in industrial and domestic settings.

Through his role, Douglas gains early insights into what use cases the industry is beginning to research and test for 6G. He noted, however, that operators can already start "building the business case" for sensing services on existing 5G networks, especially as 5G Advanced is deployed.

Here, he pointed to pilots on Verizon’s 5G network in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, NVIDIA, ODC and Astris AI. The companies tested the NetSense airspace awareness-as-a-service system, which aims to allow operators to deploy ISAC capabilities over existing 5G infrastructure. They said the demonstration proved the tech can sense unmanned aircraft systems without changing existing cellular radio deployments.

Pilot deployments of NetSense are planned in 2026 and early 2027, with commercial general availability planned for 2027. (See Lockheed Martin preps drone detection service using Verizon 5G.)

Related:Samsung comes out against 6G overhaul for sensing

Sensing change ahead

ISAC was also the topic of a separate panel session at 6G Forum, when it was discussed whether the industry should wait for the 3GPP to set a standard for sensing while commercial economic interests are already taking a lead, especially in the field of defense. (See Samsung comes out against 6G overhaul for sensing.)

Given Lockheed Martin's involvement in the development of NetSense, it was not surprising that Gus Anderson, a fellow at the defense technology specialist, expressed a preference for market demand to lead on sensing technology, with standards used where appropriate to enable interoperability and broader adoption.

"If we wait for 3GPP to come out with a standard and then we follow, we're going to … have something that's cumbersome and does a lot of things and doesn't solve any of our problems," Anderson said.

Martin Weiss, director for FutureG Applied Research at the FutureG Office with the US Department of Defense, took a similar view. He noted that while 3GPP standards can help improve scale and operational economics for vendors and operators, he favors a minimalist approach, where you "standardise what you must," and leave the rest alone. (See US Defense Dept backs 6G rival to tech used by Ericsson and Nokia.)

Related:US Defense Dept backs 6G rival to tech used by Ericsson and Nokia

Daniel Bliss, professor at Arizona State University, stressed that adapting cellular systems for sensing involves difficult technical problems – such as receiver dynamic range, self-interference, angular resolution and clutter – and said there was "a lot to do" for 3GPP. But he added that he didn't want to be unfair to the standards body and acknowledged that it was trying to move quickly.

3GPP is developing ISAC across 5G-Advanced (Release 19 and Release 20) and transitioning into core 6G specifications in Release 21.

Where's the money

Meanwhile, sensing was not the only potential monetization case that was suggested by panelists. Kamill also mentioned digital twins for safely testing network vulnerabilities, for instance, while Douglas cited industrial fixed wireless access, resilient communications and non-terrestrial networks (NTN) as opportunities.

Jaydee Griffith, managing director of the Next G Alliance, suggested that private 6G networks could prove attractive to certain industries such as utilities. "While they may use commercial networks for some functions, they really want to own their own infrastructure," he said.

Preeti Nagarajan, head of portfolio operation and technology, Business Area Networks, at Ericsson, made the case for physical AI applications such as robots, drones and connected machines, which would need greater uplink capacity, reliable low-latency communications and precise positioning.

"Physical AI is probably my most favorite use case, and I'm definitely rooting for it to leave the building," she quipped.

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