# Empowering a Broadband Communications Course with a Unified Module on 5G and Fixed 5G Networks +
## 2 Approach and Learning Objectives
### Methodology
#### 2.1.2 Section B: Service Categories of 5G/F5G and 6G Networks  
The 5G/F5G module started from the evolution of services over the first five fixed network generations (F1G-F5G) to enable a deeper understanding of the key drivers underlying their evolution. In order to achieve this objective, the study concentrated on the essential service prerequisites by employing a dialectical approach. This approach emphasized that the constraints faced by each generation are transformed into innovative features for the next generation. In particular, the study highlighted the stringent demands imposed on service and network providers to guarantee seamless service operation throughout the entire service's lifecycle. These demands encompassed high data rates, low latency, and dense connectivity. Furthermore, the study examined the evolution of these requirements over the course of the last five decades. In the current academic year's module (2023-2024), 6G services and their requirements were also included according to the relevant literature and Deliverable 2.1 of the EC-funded FLEX-SCALE project, which is publicly available [22]. According to this work, the 5G/F5G services can be classified into three categories based on three key requirements, namely low latency, high bit rate, and high connection density, only one of which needs to be met in each category. However, 6G/F6G service classes are more demanding compared to 5G/F5G services, as they may demand from the network to satisfy more than one requirement. As a consequence, four new service classes are emerging and illustrated in Figure 2. From the seven categories in total, three mandate that only one of these three requirements be met in order to operate without disruptions, and are named Enhanced Fiber Broadband (eFBB), Full Fiber Connection (FFC), and Guaranteed Reliable Experience (GRE) in fixed networks, and enhanced Mobile Networks (eMBB), Machine  
Figure 1: Timeline of four Industrial Revolutions. Type Communication (MTC), and Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC), as equivalents in wireless networks [13, 17]. The main key requirements that need to be satisfied during the entire service lifecycle in the three categories mentioned above are high bit rate, high densification, and low latency. Further, three more categories require a combination of the above three key requirements and are named Full Fiber Broadband Connection (FFBC), with the equivalent in wireless networks, the ubiquitous Mobile Broadband (uMBB), requiring both high fiber density and high bit rate; Guaranteed Reliable Fiber Broadband (GRFB), with the equivalent in wireless networks being Ultra-reliable Low-latency Broadband Communication (ULBC), requiring both low latency and high bit rate; and Guaranteed Reliable Full Fiber Experience (GRFFE), requiring both high fiber density and low latency, with the equivalent in wireless networks, Massive Ultra-reliable Low-Latency Communication (mULC). It is important to mention that some services may require all three key requirements to be met concurrently, as they need to collect bandwidth-consuming signals and data (e.g., video) from various network points in order to process them in real-time and inform the respective element, in order to make a decision. Indicative services for this category, named Full Fiber Guaranteed Reliable Broadband (FFGRB), are ultra-smart ports, airports, and railways. This section is of paramount importance for the understanding of the unification of fixed and wireless networks, as in 5G/F5G, and especially in 6G/F6G, the services offered to the users seem virtually independent from the underlying access network infrastructure, fixed (optical) or wireless.