# The 6G Ecosystem as Support for IoE and Private Networks: Vision, Requirements, and Challenges
## 4 The Requirements of 6G
### Network Architecture  
In the future, networks are expected to integrate diverse RAN technologies, including macro and small cells with high-capacity short-range links. The extensive use of AI/ML is foreseen to enhance network performance as a service across applications, impacting air interface design, data processing, network architecture, and management for superior performance. The 6G era will bring a new network architecture paradigm, decomposing the system into platform, functions, orchestration, and specialization for increased efficiency. The convergence of RAN and core networks aims to reduce complexity, while dynamic offloading and flexible instantiation of sub-networks drive increased specialization. Future scenarios rely on a flexible, scalable, secure, and reliable transport network accommodating distributed and centralized/cloud RAN with AI-powered programmability. The 6 Gnetwork-of-networks will cover various scales of physical and virtual networks to address local and specialized needs [59]. The technology of 6G must be prepared to enable the IoE, ensuring connectivity for multiple smart devices across its communication network, including every smart device, from small and compact gadgets like smartwatches and smartphones to expansive applications such as mobile healthcare, robotics, and vehicular communications systems. The IoE, eMBB, and mMTC services will intricately link these devices to one or more interfaces of wireless networks based on different technologies equipped with numerous access points (APs) or base stations (BS) that will be strategically positioned in high-density or ultra-dense configurations within the 6G network, generating overlapping coverage areas, which results in a need for the management and efficiency in frequency spectrum allocation, management and minimization of interference, handoff efficiency, and the use of transmission multiplexing or transmission coordination. All this results in a distributed, cell-less massive MIMO network topology. The infrastructure must ensure access to cloud computing services or multi-access edge computing to support services. Assuming that the 6G data-rate requirement is about 1 Tbps [83] to enable applications like [6] smart cities, smart electric cars, smart healthcare, and virtual/augmented reality, among others, the system must be focused on QoE and provide an extremally high data-rate and low latency. To achieve QoE, it needs low latency, which will be obtained through small data packets and reliable transmission served by efficient forward error correction (FEC) schemes, high-level diversity channels, efficient control algorithms, neighbor-discovery algorithms, and efficient MAC protocol over a flat network architecture [14]. To increase reliability, 6G must enhance the URLLC of 5G to obtain ERLLC. The requirements grow exponentially for the transition from 5G to 6G. Many features of 6G may be constrained or hampered by the current underdeveloped technology that could dramatically evolve 5G technology to 6G. Indeed, the network's optimal utilization can be achieved through softwarization. Substantial enhancements are imperative within software-defined radio (SDR), SDN, and NFV of 5G technology to attain the objectives of 6G. For instance, as 6G is a truly ubiquitous and distributed AI-driven communication technology, from the physical layer to the application layer, AI will have to be deployed in all 5G layers [48; 87]. Softwarization, cloudization, virtualization, and slicing remain crucial attributes of autonomous networks. Consequently, SDN, NFV, and NS continue to constitute a significant toolkit for shaping the design of 6G. The synergy of AI-enabled with SDN/NFV/NS culminates in dynamic and zero or self-network orchestration, optimization, and administration. AI-enabled network orchestration adeptly manages network infrastructure, and slices and harmonizes diverse radio access technologies, resulting in liquid networks catering to ever-evolving service needs.