Abstract
In the sixth generation of mobile communication networks (6G) era, in which the convergence of wireless and Internet technologies will drive the digital economy and automation across industries, the focus of innovation will shift from individual technology or products towards innovation within platforms and ecosystems. This paper provides a comprehensive categorised survey of the 6G business literature and the current state of mobile communication intellectual property value creation across the system architecture layers. The key emerging and enabling technologies of the 6G networks are positioned as applicable to areas of value creation and capture, and an outline of the proposed transformation of technology innovation by considering the 6G system architecture layers is provided. Unlike the existing 6G literature focusing on visions, use cases, KPI requirements, and KVI drivers, this study will extend the discussion to the value-creation-and-capture problem of technology innovators. The role of complementary assets, technology policy, standardisation, and intellectual property in 6G is analysed by profiting from innovation lenses. To gain the full potential and capture value from technology innovation in 6G, it is essential that regulators protect the intellectual property contributions to incentive R&D investments by the developers of open, collaborative enabling technologies. The paper further assesses the business model evolution from the 4G engineering platform to modular 5G and 6G, stemming from ecosystems and open value configurations. The results of the technology value analysis show the emerging 6G business to be an oblique hybrid of vertical and horizontal business models and characterise the future 6G networks as a general-purpose technology.
Highlights
This study aims to develop a framework for understanding and analysing 6G, a framework that extends and deepens profiting from the innovation (PFI) framework [4] to emerging general-purpose technologies, taking a more detailed view of the industry’s 6G business models, or at the ecosystem level
This paper has characterised 6G as an emerging generalpurpose technology that will fundamentally change how value creation and profiting from technology innovations will happen in the future
Purpose upstream technology leading to a stronger downstream appropriability of the applications and services across industries, and an essential common economic contribution. 6G calls for a multidisciplinary approach with proactive business model innovations stemming from understanding the particularities of relevant complements, legitimising the novel innovations, and a supportive regulatory and policy environment
Summary
The results of the technology value analysis Porter’s supply-focused value chain concept [39] and show the emerging 6G business as an oblique hybrid of considers the business model as a way to capture value from vertical and horizontal business models, characterising customers [40] In this classical view, the sole value creator the future 6G as a general-purpose technology The classical value discussion related to business models stems from
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