6G: How dangerous is a self-managing mobile network

The 5G mobile network is not even fully operational yet, but researchers around the world are already looking ahead to the next generation. What will make 6G different? What role will artificial intelligence play? And how can we ensure that these intelligent networks remain secure? We asked VUB professor An Braeken from the Faculty of Engineering Sciences. "We are moving towards networks that manage themselves and continuously adapt with minimal human intervention."

We are already talking about 6G, but has 5G actually lived up to expectations?
An Braeken: "That is not an easy question to answer. From a technological perspective, 5G has certainly created new opportunities. However, for many everyday applications, 4G already proved to work quite well. There was a lot of discussion around 5G for connected vehicles, smart hospitals and other innovative services. These are slowly starting to take shape today, but they remain largely invisible in most people's daily lives. In business environments, we do see the added value of so-called private 5G networks much more clearly. But indeed, for the general public, many of the promised applications remain relatively exceptional for now."

"AI makes defence smarter, but attackers can use the same technology."

What will the new generation offer that 5G cannot?"With previous generations of mobile networks, the focus was mainly on speed and capacity: transmitting more data and communicating faster. With 6G, the focus shifts towards intelligence. Networks will become much more autonomous and capable of optimising themselves with minimal human intervention. This opens the door to entirely new applications. Think of self-driving vehicles that can continuously exchange data on a large scale and therefore make smarter decisions about routes and other aspects of their operation. It can also help industrial robots collaborate more effectively. The focus is therefore much more than before on the Internet of Things (IoT), where not only people but also machines communicate continuously with one another."

When you talk about intelligence in networks, you also mean artificial intelligence?
"Absolutely. Artificial intelligence will be much more than just a tool in 6G. The idea is that artificial intelligence will actively help control the operation of the network. AI can, for example, automatically allocate network capacity, predict problems, detect cyberattacks and optimise energy consumption. Thanks to their ability to recognise patterns, AI systems can identify anomalies much faster than humans. This is why people sometimes speak of 'zero-touch' networks: networks that manage themselves and continuously adapt."

"It will become a cat-and-mouse game in which intelligence exists on both sides."

Does giving AI control over our networks not create new risks?
"Absolutely. That is one of the major challenges. AI can be manipulated through training data, models can be 'poisoned', or attackers can feed misleading information into the system, causing it to make incorrect decisions. It is a continuous cat-and-mouse game. AI makes defence smarter, but attackers can use the same technology."

"Moreover, the impact of a successful attack could become much greater. Today, people often associate cyberattacks with data breaches. However, if future networks use AI to control critical infrastructure, the consequences could also be physical, economic or societal. Think of an attack on smart energy grids, digital railway communication, port logistics or emergency services, disrupting electricity supplies, mobility, supply chains or emergency response. In such a world, security becomes even more important."

An Braeken

Will the introduction of 6G also have consequences for our privacy?
"That remains an important point of attention. The smarter a network becomes, the more data it needs to make decisions. At the same time, users do not want to be constantly monitored. Even today, communication systems already contain a great deal of metadata. As AI models become increasingly powerful, they can extract patterns from metadata that may appear harmless at first glance and link information together more easily. This creates a risk of user tracking and profiling. That is why we are researching techniques such as zero-knowledge proofs, which allow systems to demonstrate that they meet certain conditions without revealing sensitive information."

About yourself, you are a mathematician working in the world of telecommunications.
"During my mathematics studies, I was always looking for practical applications. In my penultimate year, cryptographer Vincent Rijmen gave a presentation on the AES encryption standard (editor's note: the most widely used method in the world for encrypting digital information, for example in banking apps, cloud storage, Wi-Fi networks and many other applications). I found that particularly fascinating. Later, I completed my PhD in Bart Preneel's research group in Leuven. Initially, I worked on fairly theoretical cryptography, but over time my research evolved towards applications in the Internet of Things, cloud systems and eventually future communication networks such as 5G and 6G. It was actually a very natural evolution."

Bio
An Braeken is a professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, where she conducts research on cybersecurity, cryptography, privacy protection and future communication networks. She holds a Master's degree in Mathematics from Ghent University and obtained her PhD in Applied Sciences from KU Leuven. Her research focuses on secure Internet of Things systems, 5G and 6G networks, post-quantum cryptography and privacy-friendly digital infrastructures.

De geschiedenis van mobiele telefonie in 6 Generaties

6G is the sixth generation of mobile communication networks and the successor to 5G. Although the technology is still in the research and development phase, experts expect the first commercial applications to become available around 2030. The evolution of mobile networks has so far progressed through clear stages. With 1G, mobile telephony became possible. These were such bulky and heavy phones that, while wireless, they could hardly be described as portable. 2G introduced digital communication and SMS. This allowed data to be transmitted, albeit only in the form of short, simple text messages. 3G brought mobile internet to the general public, but it was 4G that enabled us to enjoy video streaming, social media and cloud applications on our smartphones. 5G added higher speeds, lower latency and support for large numbers of connected devices.

6G builds on these developments, but places emphasis on different priorities. Naturally, it aims for data speeds that are many times higher than those of 5G. In addition, 6G is likely to make use of higher frequency bands, potentially including parts of the sub-terahertz or terahertz spectrum, to enable extremely high data rates over short distances. Equally important is that 6G networks will become far more intelligent. They will use AI to manage themselves more effectively, route traffic, predict failures and continuously adapt the network to changing conditions. However, whereas previous generations primarily focused on increased speed and capacity, 6G is also expected to seamlessly connect different digital worlds. Work is underway on much closer integration between terrestrial networks, satellites, drones and other communication systems. So, "Sorry, I had no signal" may no longer be a valid excuse when you miss a call from your boss.