5G, 6G, and Beyond: Recent advances and future challenges

With the high demand for advanced services and the increase in the number of connected devices, current wireless communication systems are required to expand to meet the users’ needs in terms of quality of service, throughput, latency, connectivity, and security. 5G, 6G, and Beyond (xG) aim at bringing new radical changes to shake the wireless communication networks where everything will be fully connected fulfilling the requirements of ubiquitous connectivity over the wireless networks. This rapid revolution will transform the world of communication with more intelligent and sophisticated services and devices leading to new technologies operating over very high frequencies and broader bands. To achieve the objectives of the xG networks, several key technology enablers need to be performed, including massive MIMO, software-defined networking, network function virtualization, vehicular to everything, mobile edge computing, network slicing, terahertz, visible light communication, virtualization of the network infrastructure, and intelligent communication environment. In this paper, we investigated the recent advancements in the 5G/6G and Beyond systems. We highlighted and analyzed their different key technology enablers and use cases. We also discussed potential issues and future challenges facing the new wireless networks.