Key Efficiency Indicators (KPIs) have lengthy been the first benchmarks for evaluating cellular community efficiency. Nevertheless, as 6G strikes in direction of a broader societal and environmental affect, the European Hexa-X-II mission and its companions advocate for integrating Key Values (KVs) and Key Worth Indicators (KVIs) into community design and analysis.
On 18 December 2024, Hexa-X-II hosted an insightful Webinar to spotlight the importance of KVIs in shaping the way forward for 6G. The session underscored how KVIs can complement KPIs by assessing expertise’s affect on sustainability, digital inclusion, belief, and moral concerns.
Whereas the video hasn’t been shared, you may obtain the slides from right here.
Why KVIs Matter in 6G Growth
Historically, cellular community growth has been pushed by KPIs—throughput, latency, reliability, and spectrum effectivity. Nevertheless, as 6G goals to assist broader international targets such because the UN Sustainable Growth Objectives (SDGs), a shift in direction of value-based design is important. Hexa-X-II proposes a structured methodology the place:
- Human and Planetary Objectives are recognized (e.g., sustainability, digital inclusion, belief).
- Key Values (KVs) are derived from these targets to replicate expertise’s meant advantages and potential dangers.
- Key Worth Indicators (KVIs) present qualitative or quantitative measures to evaluate whether or not these values are met.
From Principle to Software: The Hexa-X-II Course of
One of many core challenges in making use of KVIs is the interdisciplinary nature of the evaluation. In contrast to KPIs, that are primarily technical, KVIs require social, financial, and environmental concerns. The Hexa-X-II method consists of:
- Defining Use Case KVIs, which assess the affect of a selected software.
- Defining Enabler KVIs, which measure how nicely a technical enabler (e.g., AI, NTN, RIS) contributes to key values.
- Mapping KVIs to present KPIs the place attainable and figuring out gaps the place new indicators are wanted.
- Iteratively refining KVIs based mostly on real-world evaluations.
A Case Examine: Cooperating Cellular Robots
One instance mentioned within the webinar was using cooperating cellular robots, a use case that advantages from 6G-enabled ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC). Whereas KPIs can measure efficiency (e.g., latency, reliability), KVIs assist consider the broader affect, resembling:
- Environmental KVIs: Power effectivity, materials utilization, digital waste discount.
- Social KVIs: Job displacement vs. job creation, employee security, accessibility.
- Financial KVIs: Enterprise viability, affordability, and danger of monopolisation.
By systematically assessing these components, the Hexa-X-II framework ensures that 6G expertise is not only high-performing but additionally aligned with societal wants.
Classes Realized and Future Outlook
The adoption of KVIs presents a number of challenges, together with subjective assessments, measurement difficulties, and the necessity for multi-stakeholder collaboration. Nevertheless, Hexa-X-II emphasises that:
- Know-how affect needs to be repeatedly monitored utilizing KVIs.
- Qualitative and quantitative assessments should be mixed, slightly than relying solely on measurable KPIs.
- A system-level method is required, integrating views from sustainability, enterprise, and social sciences.
As 6G analysis advances, KVIs will play a vital position in guaranteeing that next-generation networks contribute meaningfully to international sustainability and inclusivity. The Hexa-X-II initiative gives a foundational methodology for integrating values into the historically KPI-driven telecom panorama — an method that would redefine how we measure success within the 6G period.
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