Introduction to 6G Wireless Communications

This chapter provides an expert view on the most trending research directions that will likely shape the technological changes needed for the sixth generation (6G) mobile communication systems for the next decade. The notion of collective artificial intelligence (AI), in contrast to the hype of using conventional AI or machine learning methods in wireless systems, is a revolutionary element in 6G. Blockchain technology will likely play a major role in securing and authenticating future communication systems, thanks to the inherent advantages of the distributed ledger technology. While the technologies are expected to provide the technological leaps required for the speculative 6G vision, there are many challenges researchers and engineers will need to address in order to harvest full benefits of 6G. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.