Digital Twin for 6G: Taxonomy, Research Challenges, and the Road Ahead

Masaracchia, Antonino; Sharma, Vishal; Canberk, Berk; Dobre, Octavia A.; Duong, Trung Q.

Abstract

The concept of digital twin (DT) is constantly revealing as a key enabling technology for the deployment of mobile communication services envisaged for the sixth-generation (6G) Internet-of-Things (IoT). This paper aims at providing a comprehensive review of the current state-of-the-art DT-enabled 6G oriented network services. The main characteristics of this new key enabling technology and its critical aspects are highlighted. An overview of the 6G network requirements for the deployment of its innovative envisioned services is firstly provided, emphasizing how the DT concept represents a complementary key enabling technology for them. This is followed by a brief introduction of the DT technology. Subsequently, a comprehensive classification and analysis of the research advancements on DT-enabled 6G services currently available in literature is provided. This paper is concluded by highlighting the most representative challenges and future directions necessary for the deployment of this promising and innovative technology.

Citation

Masaracchia, A., Sharma, V., Canberk, B., Dobre, O. A., & Duong, T. Q. (2022). Digital Twin for 6G: Taxonomy, Research Challenges, and the Road Ahead. IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society, 3, 2137-2150. https://doi.org/10.1109/OJCOMS.2022.3219015

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Nov 4, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022
• Deposit Date: Nov 10, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 11, 2022
• Journal: IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society
• Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Pages: 2137-2150
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/OJCOMS.2022.3219015
• Keywords: Beyond fifth-generation (5G) network, Digital Twin (DT), Internet of Things (IoT), Internet of Vehicles (IoV), sixth-generation (6G) network
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2952421