Web Desk
ABU DHABI: e& UAE, the flagship telecom arm of global technology group e&, and Khalifa University jointly launched a white paper, “6G AI-Native Networks: Architecture, Intelligence, and the Path to Autonomous Connectivity”. The white paper offers a comprehensive blueprint for AI-native 6G networks, a transformative architecture that redefines connectivity by embedding intelligence as a foundational property of the network itself. It presents a structured framework that advances the global dialogue on IMT-2030 and future 3GPP Release 21+ standardisation.
Marwan Bin Shakar, Chief Technology Officer, e& UAE, said: “6G is not about incremental performance; it is about redefining the network as an intelligent system. With this blueprint, we are introducing an AI-native architecture where learning, reasoning, and autonomous decision-making are built into the DNA of the network. Our contribution goes beyond vision. We are proposing a structured AI-plane, closed-loop autonomy frameworks, measurable AI KPIs, and open standards interfaces that can directly inform IMT-2030 and 3GPP Release 21+. As a national operator, e& UAE is committed to shaping global standards, accelerating research testbeds, and ensuring that AI-native 6G becomes a trusted, secure, and globally interoperable foundation for the digital economy.”
Professor Ahmed Al Durra, Associate Provost for Khalifa University, said: “This joint white paper reflects the power of deep industry–academia collaboration in shaping the next era of connectivity. AI-native 6G demands not only new wireless technologies, but new architectural thinking, new AI lifecycle governance models, and new standards frameworks. Khalifa University is proud to contribute research-driven insights that integrate distributed intelligence, digital twin ecosystems, and autonomous network orchestration into a coherent global framework. Through this work, we aim to position the UAE at the forefront of AI-native standardisation and innovation, ensuring that 6G networks are intelligent by design, secure by architecture, and globally interoperable.”
Moving beyond incremental AI enhancements in 5G, the blueprint defines a true AI-native architecture, introducing a dedicated AI-plane integrated alongside user, control, and management planes. This new plane enables continuous sensing, learning, reasoning, and autonomous actuation across radio, core, and edge domains. The framework outlines distributed AI agents, closed-loop autonomy, AI lifecycle orchestration, digital twin integration, and standardised cross-domain interfaces designed to support multi-vendor and multi-domain intelligence at scale.
The white paper details five enabling pillars for AI-native 6G: pervasive AI/ML frameworks, distributed cloud-edge computing, advanced technologies including integrated sensing, open programmable architectures, and sustainability-driven design. Together, these elements position 6G not simply as a faster network, but as a cognitive infrastructure capable of autonomous operation, predictive optimisation, and intent-based service delivery, enabling transformative applications from fully immersive holographic experiences to city-scale intelligent transportation systems.
The white paper also defines measurable AI-native KPIs, including decision latency for closed-loop autonomy, learning accuracy, and energy efficiency per AI inference, contributing structured performance metrics to ongoing global standardisation discussions.
Through this collaboration, e& and Khalifa University reaffirm their commitment to positioning the UAE as a global leader in AI-native connectivity research, ecosystem development, and standards contribution.
More details on the whitepaper can be found at 6G AI Native Network Whitepaper
