Intelligent and sustainable engineering systems

Mobile communications can contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by offering pervasive connectivity to improve the efficiency of human society. However, it must also achieve this in a sustainable manner. Through direct and indirect incentives, these measures should stimulate the development of new technologies natively designed with carbon footprint reduction as a key objective.Now approaching its 6G generation, mobile communications is anchored deep at the heart of our digital society, and as such uses a considerable, and increasing amount of energy to fuel the growing demand for mobile data to an increasing number of devices. Now more than ever investigations into opportunities and innovations in sustainability much be committed, which will contribute to our society’s transformation towards carbon neutrality.There are two directions for a sustainable 6G system design: energy efficiency and carbon-awareness. Energy efficiency ultimately aims at minimizing the overall electricity needs of the 6G system, while additionally, a study shows that carbon-awareness could enable reducing and limiting the carbon footprint of the 6G system.The telecom sector is enabling wireless connectivity on a global scale, thereby accelerating our society’s digital transformation. At the same time, the number of connected devices continues to increase, and connected applications continue to consume more data, which both lead to increased energy use.With mobile networks already energy-intensive, the expected around 2.5-fold data traffic surge by 2029, compared with 2024, suggests a potential significant rise in energy use and carbon emissions. Achieving energy efficiency and emissions reduction is thus imperative for the telecom sector, for existing and future deployments of existing generations and is also a key focus for the development of 6G. Transitioning from 5G, 6G's sustainable deployment requires holistic planning throughout the entire system, including network infrastructure and mobile devices, and needs to be a key objective of the end-to-end design from the start. The focus of sustainable communication lies in optimizing energy efficiency and maximizing adoption of renewable energy sources. This transition requires addressing design and operational aspects to reduce the carbon footprint. Key strategies for advancing 6G technology include optimizing energy efficiency, embracing diverse network conditions and topologies, and promoting carbon-awareness. We propose three primary directions for improving the carbon footprint of mobile networks and battery life of mobile devices:• Minimize total energy consumption of mobile networks and devices for idle operation− Network: Low-power common and paging signals− Device: Near-zero-power lite radio• Optimize energy efficiency of mobile networks and devices for data transmission/reception− Network: Energy-efficient waveform, power-scalable beamformer− Device: Power-scalable main radio, collaboration with lite radio• Introduce carbon-awareness in space and time domains for sustainable service provision− End-to-end tracking and reduction of carbon emissions via introduction of carbon-intensity metric− Carbon-aware resource management based on carbon-intensity criterion, across the system− Sustainability- and QoS-driven service architecture for user-centric carbon-aware service

Sustainability in 6G networks: challenges and potential solutions
1. 6G for sustainability should contribute to an overall sustainable development in society by enabling the transformation of all sectors (transportation and logictics, industry and agriculture, energetics and mining, health care and education, television and media) as ICT infrastructure (intelligent connectivity, IIoT, NPN, NTN). The commercial launch of 6G communications systems and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) are both targeted for 2030. The UN SDGs 17 goals were introduced in 2015.

6G communications are expected to boost global growth and productivity, create new business models and transform many aspects of society.
The UN SDGs are a way of framing opportunities and challenges (technological, environmental, economic, societal, as well as political, legal and regulatory) of a desirable future world and cover topics as developing smart cities (SC).

2. Sustainable 6G must be anchored in society to be socially sustainable, meaning that the use of resources is well motivated and explained.

Impact on environment (6G networks need to minimize any negative impact on sustainability).
System level constrains by the unavoidable fundamental limits (network efficiency, energy-efficient, network management, network security) and optimization trade-offs as well as modern standardization efforts.
Use cases (extremely immersive human-centric experience, integrated sensing and communication, intelligent massive machine-type connectivity for IIoT, full-capability Industry 4.0 and beyond, Smart City and Smart Life).

Sustainability is a societal goal that is usually addressed under three pillars, namely environmental, economic and social. A related concept that many times is used as a synonym is that of the sustainable development. The UN SDGs refer to the pathways and needed action to achieve the long-term target of sustainability.Sustainability is increasingly becoming a key target for the design of 6G, driving the choice of technologies and conception of the system to reach effective 6G solutions, with reduced environmental impact.Sustainable 6G and 6G for sustainability should be considered with equal importance. Sustainability will be considered through three dimensions:

Environmental sustainability, targeting the minimisation of environmental impact. There is a growing public awareness of environmental sustainability and the impact of technologies on energy consumption and usage of natural resources. Regulators are addressing the carbon footprint of networks and their related usages. In the framework of 6G networks, the environmental sustainability aims to minimize the environmental impact, i.e., to reduce the consumed energy and the carbon footprint of manufacturing and operation of 6G networks but also to decrease the environmental impact of other industries (textile, automotive, food, pharmaceutical, etc.) by enabling disruptive services to digitalize and optimize processes. In other words, 6G should cater for sustainable 6G networks as well as 6G for sustainability on all sectors that it will be used. Possible key sustainability objectives are (1) the specification of applicable environmental sustainability indicators, (2) methods for evaluation and (3) their application and use to connectivity solutions, including 6G.
Societal sustainability, aiming at providing value to people and society thanks to new use cases powered by 6G. Societal requirements may include higher EMF-awareness, higher digital inclusion (with improved affordability, coverage of low-density areas), higher security and much higher resilience. Ambitions related to societal values point at the need to consider value-related goals and expected impact, which can be assessed with Key Value Indicators (KVIs) in relation to the usage of 6G networks. This value-related view should complement performance-related capabilities, assessed with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in relation to the design of 6G networks.
Economic sustainability, where 6G will be an enabler for business value. The telecom sector is vital for the EU economy and pivotal for the green and digital transition. The sector generated 4,5% of European GDP (2021). At the same time the telecommunication market is facing its own challenges. Towards this end research and innovation activities for 6G networks should focus on solutions like adequate support for network cloudification and fostering distributed computing infrastructures. Finally, new policy frameworks are needed that will boost the regulatory authorities to simplify deployment by considering reasonable spectrum licencing conditions, fair allocation of costs for network traffic and ways to stimulate data-driven technologies and services.

Assessing the impact of 5G Intelligent Connectivity on the SDGs in SerbiaEnvironmental, social, and economic goals have been developed with the community involvement including academia, governments, and private sector. It encompasses three major sustainable community development dimensions: protection of the environment, social diversity and inclusions, and economic growth. The UN SDGs are extremely ambitious and wide ranging. They are thus what can be called stretch goals, which may seem close to impossible to reach, but which are nevertheless pursued in order to inspire and stimulate radical and ground-breaking approaches and efforts to make progress. However, despite its performance, Serbia is now facing the effect of a number of global challenges, namely, the global economic, financial, energy and food security crises.Nonetheless, on the positive side, Serbia has been quite on the forefront in adopting new technologies in recent years, driven by the vision of the government and aptly supported by continuous investment in infrastructure and innovation by telecom operators. Moreover, on in 2020, Serbia launched preparation for 5G. Serbia is therefore well positioned to use technologies such as intelligent connectivity to address the UN SDGs. Intelligent connectivity is the combination of several technological enablers such as 5G mobile communications, Artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IIoT), and Cloud Computing (CC) and it is considered as one of the most impactful technologies that can help achieve the SDGs. The main aim of this project is to develop methodology to assess the impact of intelligent connectivity on the SDGs in Serbia. This objective assessment will give a concrete impact score quantifying the extent of which intelligent connectivity is benefiting Serbia in each of the SDGs. It will thus will allow different stakeholders to take necessary action to capitalise on the use of intelligent connectivity to enhance its impact on each of the SDGs in Serbia.
Methodology used to construct the impact scores is carried out in the following four steps:

Review impact evidence. A review of the adoption of the different components of intelligent connectivity (mobile technologies, IoT, AI, CC) in Serbia will therefore be conducted and relevant statistics obtained from public and private sector organisations will be compiled accordingly.
Driver identification. Based on both empirical and qualitative evidence, the drivers through which intelligent connectivity impacts the SDGs in Serbia will be identified.
Metric selection. Appropriate metrics will be identified to quantify the drivers and measure the contribution of intelligent connectivity, relative to its theoretical maximum contribution.
Impact score calculations. The final step is to calculate industry impact scores for each SDG. This is done using a bottom-up approach using all available data for on each SDG in Serbia. Metric and SDG scores are aggregated globally and by institution. These are calculated by weighting the institution scores by the population percentage each institution targets.

Expected outcomes:

A complete guideline which will include a methodology to assess the impact of intelligent connectivity on the SDGs in Serbia will be produced.
A detailed analysis of the adoption of intelligent connectivity and its impact on each SDG in Serbia will be obtained.
Recommendations on how to enhance the impact scores of intelligent connectivity for each SDG will be provided.
A framework to use capacity building and technology transfer to better understand intelligent connectivity in the SDGs. This will help organisations to develop strategies and identify best options with a view to improve the assessment scores.

5G Connectivity Index (5GI)The number of 5G connections worldwide surpassed 1.5 billion at the end of 2023, four years after the arrival of the technology, making it the fastest-growing mobile broadband technology to date. However, despite this progress, a new digital divide is starting to emerge between highincome and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Furthermore, even in countries with 5G, the technology has not yet realised its full potential in terms of digital transformation, economic impact and commercial value. This highlights the imperative for strategic interventions, enabling policies and targeted investments to ensure the evolution of 5G everywhere.Against this backdrop, GSMA has launched the 5G Connectivity Index (5GI) to help enable increased coverage, adoption, usage and market development ( webtool provides overall index scores as well as the underlying score for each indicator and a market comparison tool). The 5GI provides a comprehensive assessment of 5G in 39 markets, offering valuable insights for informed decisionmaking and investment by the mobile ecosystem and policymakers. It is constructed around two categories, 5G infrastructure and 5G services, which are divided into six pillars, which are in turn made up of 17 indicators.

State-of-the-art Energy Efficiency in 5G networks:Requirement indicators and evaluation metricsDevelopment of mobile networks from the launch of first generation 1G services to the current 5G and the projection for 5G+ towards 6G over the next decade clearly demonstrate the growth of deployed infrastructure and traffic. In spite of more efficiency of the new generations, energy consumption (EC) unavoidably increases, so that economic and environmental impacts cannot be neglected. More consumption means more costs for the mobile networks operators and greater carbon footprint. It is necessary that industry, academia and governments develop strategies which optimize the energy-efficiency of 5G networks. The instantaneous energy-efficiency (EE) is equal to the ratio of the data rate and the sum of the transmit and consumed circuitry power (or energy). Spectrum efficiency (SE) is defined as the ratio of data rate to bandwidth. Main considerations affecting the dynamic 5G infrastructure include higher traffic speeds, reduced latency, IoT and associated low data rate networks, carrier aggregation and multiple connectivity, massive MIMO, multilevel sleep-modes, cloud and virtualization, network slicing for different applications

GSMA modelling and analysis of EE mobile networks 2024 resulted in anumber of findings at a global level:

76% of the energy of the participating operators is consumed in the radio access network (RAN). The network core and owned data centres (19%) and other operations (5%) account for the rest.
In the markets covered, the average primary energy efficiency ratio in the RAN reached 6.83 GB/kWh. According to our data set, this also indicates that operators used on average 0.15 kWh of energy to transfer 1 GB of data across their RAN networks.
In terms of other RAN efficiency ratios, one mobile connection required an average of 14 kWh of energy during the 12 months, while one cell network site used on average 22 MWh over the year.
On average, 73% of operators’ energy came from the electricity grid mix, 21% came from purchased and generated renewables and the remaining 6% came from diesel generation. Diesel generation was generally higher in developing regions where grid and renewables access is less prevalent.
Participating operators used 71% of their total energy in the active infrastructure and only 29% was consumed in the passive infrastructure, to support, defend and supply the active network elements.

Sustainability, innovation, and disruptionIn the context of sustainability, there is an increasing recognition among management scholars that understanding the transition toward envi-ronmental and social sustainability is vital despite attractive slogans. If the actual sustainability transition process is not understood and managed well, achieving sustainable development-related goals will be harder. This sustainability transition is highly linked to economic sustainability, which has limited the actions on envi-ronmental and social sustainability. In this context of the sustainability transition, the role of disruptive innovations has emerged as critical in recent years because these disruptive innovations demand socio-technical change at multiple levels; thereby bringing the transition element to the forefront of the debate. This sustainability transition approach is different from many traditional sustainability focused studies, which either focus on a micro-context (firm level sustainability initiatives) or macro-level (change toward sustainability in industries and countries), where the process of this transition does not usually get the due attention.6G systems have a high potential to contribute to both environ-mental and social sustainability while ensuring economic sustainability, and this has been established by several studies published in recent years. However, as 6G is still a future technology in the vision and framework development phase, we still lack knowledge of how it can potentially contribute to the sustainability transition on envi-ronmental, economic, and social levels. Prior work has linked 6G with the UN SDGs and the triple bottom line of sustainability and identified several research topics for further study by the research community including environmental, economic, and social perspectives.Sustainability considerations of existing mobile communication systems have primarily focused on environmental sustainability aiming at minimizing energy consumption and maximizing resource efficiency including energy efficiency . The role of mobile communication is seen as important in the sustainability transition of society at large, but this development should not occur at the expense of increasing the ICT sector’s own sustainability burden. Most recently, sustainability has become an important design criterion for 6G, while opening the door for defining a new set of requirements on mobile communications stemming from the sustainability transition.Connecting sustainability6G mobile communication systems are expected to be deployed around the year 2030, which is also the target year for the achievement of the UN SDGs . Idealistically, the targets from the UN SDG framework should be reached prior to the emer-gence of 6G, allowing 6G to enter a world where major sustainability challenges are already solved. This, however, will not be the case and the entire R&D of the next generation of mobile communication systems is driven by sustainability and sustainable development. No prior generation of mobile communications has taken sustainability as seriously as a core value as 6G has. The development of the 4G system adopted the principle of green communications, which meant optimization of resource usage and especially energy efficiency. 5G adopted energy efficiency as one of its key performance indicators but no target values were defined. In 6G development, sustainability principles are talked about but concrete actions and design criteria for sustainability in 6G R&D are yet un(der)defined.Limitations and future research directionsOur chapter has several limitations similar to any other academic work. Firstly, it is a conceptual piece where empirical analysis has not been undertaken. However, as 6G is a future technology, the possibilities for a specific analysis of its link to the sustainability transition are rather limited. Hence, our chapter builds bases for future studies to be under-taken both as quantitative and qualitative studies analyzing different aspects of the sustainability transition in relation to 6G telecommunica-tions in different industrial and national contexts. Moreover, our chapter discusses all three elements of MLP concerning the sustainability tran-sition without going into too much depth on any of the elements. We recommend future scholars take a more in-depth approach and analyze the specificities of the various niches, socio-technical regimes, and the exogenous socio-technical landscape of the sustainability transition in different contexts in relation to 6G telecommunications. Additionally, keeping in view the importance of corporate social and environmental innovation for the sustainability transi-tion, we recommend future researchers to link these to 6G telecoms as well; thereby enriching the larger debate on the sustainability tran-sition linked to this particular technology. Finally, keeping in view the continuous development of 6G telecoms currently taking place, longitudinal academic studies documenting different phases in relation to the sustainability transition are expected to enrich our understanding both theoretically and practically.

Sustainable Development. In the context of addressing climate change, an urgent priority is ensuring that 5G and advanced networks are deployed and operated sustainably. The gravity of this challenge is underscored by the record-breaking heat of July 2023, a stark reminder of the global climate crisis. As temperatures continue to rise, the consequences for the world’s population are profound, affecting 81% of the global population. The science is clear: limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels is imperative, and the mobile industry plays a pivotal role in achieving this goal.3GPP has a crucial role to play in supporting the sustainability of 5G and advanced networks. To this end, the 3GPP is diligently working on standards that encompass various facets of sustainability, including energy efficiency, resource optimization, circularity, and social responsibility. Moreover, these efforts extend beyond telecommunications, as 3GPP is actively crafting standards that enable wireless technologies to facilitate sustainability across multiple industries. One notable area of focus is energy consumption25, a substantial component of network operators’ operational expenditures. Within the network infrastructure, the radio access network (RAN) and, specifically, the active antenna unit (AAU) stand out as primary sources of energy consumption. With this in mind, there is a compelling need to refine and develop energy-saving techniques with granular targeting for specific deployment scenarios, while also exploring the potential for user equipment (UE) support. In the quest for energy efficiency within 5G networks, 3GPP has been incorporating criteria for communication services, enhancing transparency by disclosing energy consumption to clients, scrutinizing requirements to bridge existing gaps, and delving into security, billing, and privacy aspects. Addressing climate change and global energy scarcity necessitates collective efforts and a pronounced emphasis on energy efficiency. In the pursuit of net zero emissions, the industry is fervently committed to balancing user experience with network efficiency. However, this endeavor requires access to vertical-specific data for further refinement. By offering energy efficiency as a service, end-users can make informed choices and assess their energy consumption. This approach also underlines the significance of fostering enhanced collaboration between applications and networks, as it holdsthe potential to improve both energy efficiency and user satisfaction. The concerted efforts within the 3GPP community exemplify the industry’s unwavering dedication to sustainability and innovation in the ever-evolving landscape of advanced mobile communications.

Assessing the sustainability performance of mobile operatorsUnlocking value through‚the ESG Metrics for MobileEmbracing a standardised set of ESG KPIs across the mobile industry offers numerous benefits. These KPIs streamline data collection and reporting processes for operators, fostering consistency in the information disclosed across the industry. As more operators adopt these KPIs, this not only equips operators with a clearer grasp of their ESG performance but also empowers them to identify how they stand compared to the industry average.Moreover, the adoption of these KPIs can enhance operators’ engagement with external stakeholders. Investors, for instance, gain a more profound level of comparability and understanding of the industry’s nuances and contexts. Additionally, these metrics identify key areas to help facilitate meaningful discussions with policymakers regarding the industry’s ESG impact and progress.Having the capability to provide a full inventory of the most relevant industry KPIs can also help operators capitalise on valuable business opportunities. For example, it can help operators to secure valuable contracts with the growing number of enterprises that incorporate sustainability criteria into their RFQ processes. Additionally, gathering data on critical metrics is a pivotal step for operators aspiring to attract green financing, further aligning their operations with sustainability goals.The ESG KPIs encompass a range of metrics, from well-established ones such as emissions and energy consumption to emerging and less-tested indicators in areas such as digital skills. Consequently, it was not surprising to observe some variation in the reporting levels among participating operators during the ESG Metrics for Mobile pilot.

Sustainability is one of the most urgent and pressing challenges of our time, and affects the telecommunication sector as much as any other industry. Mobile network operators (MNOs) and vendors have set aggressive sustainability targets for the next decades towards carbon footprint reduction, and ultimately Net Zero emissions.
Energy-efficient operation of mobile networksThe ICT industry has aligned on a science-based pathway to reach Net Zero emissions, which was developed in collaboration with ICT industry groups. MNOs and manufacturers globally are increasing their commitments to reach Net Zero emissions, acting on emissions across their entire value chain. In 2023, telco industry organizations representing 46% of global connections have set science-based targets. The estimated annual energy costs for running a mobile network falls around $25B11, as MNO energy consumption constitutes between 20-40% of network operational expenditures (OPEX). With the recent energy crisis and increasing network energy use, these numbers are expected to be higher. This makes reducing energy consumption of mobile networks an economic and environmental imperative.the majority of the operational emissions of the mobile industry are associated with the use of energy. Therefore, the main strategy for de-carbonizing the operational emissions of the mobile industry requires complementary and urgentimplementation of energy efficiency measures as well as switching to renewable or low carbon sources of energy to power mobile networks.
Technologies driving energy efficiencyWithin the landscape of modern mobile networks, a substantial majority of energy is currently consumed within the Radio Access Network (RAN) domain. An astonishing 73% of the total energy consumption is attributed to the RAN. Comparatively, the mobile core network and proprietary data centers account for 13% and 9% of the energy usage, respectively, with other operational components representing the remaining 5%. Notably, the energy share of data centers can be quite variable and largely depend on the operator configurations. Also the share of energy consumed by the RAN can vary depending on the operator configuration and equipment, and be between 70-85% of the total energy consumption in the network. Within the RAN, the radio components in the radio unit such as the power amplifier and digital frontend are key contributors to the overall RAN power consumption.Notably, in recent years, reduction of base station energy consumption has been attained

by moving the radio unit components as close as possible to the antenna, thus removing coax cables’ RF signal losses;
by developing RAN site components that can be used outdoors as much as possible, thus decreasing the need for air conditioning; and
by developing ‘single RAN’ radio products supporting multiple bands and/or multiple RATs, allowing different types of RF sharing solutions.

These innovations inherently reduce the need of energy particularly for cooling. In general, the share of energy used for cooling can vary between 10% to 66% of the base station energy consumption. Given that the RAN domain constitutes the predominant consumer of energy within the mobile network, it is clear that the most effective path to bolstering the profitability of mobile networks and advancing toward climate-related targets hinges upon the minimization of energy consumption within the RAN.So, we present technologies and strategies for attaining network energy savings and improved energy efficiency, focusing on the RAN domain. Generally, those technologies and strategies rely on the basic principle that adaptations of (radio) network parameters in response to traffic variations can be used to attain energy saving,However, those adaptations should not negatively impact individual userQoS and QoE, and should be applied carefully depending on the number of active subscribers. However, in certain cases, a balance between end-user QoE and energy saving may be considered. Acknowledging the significance of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in shaping modern network operations, we also shed light on innovative techniques that leverage AI/ML capabilities to enhance energy efficiency. These methodologies exhibit significant potential in advancing environmental sustainability goals and streamlining operational costs across the mobile network ecosystem. In the context of cellular network evolution, as networks transition from one generation to another, their energy consumption increasingly depends on the network load. Consequently, network traffic emerges as the primary driving force and a crucial parameter for optimizing network components, enabling adaptation of radio resources across time, frequency, space, and power domains in response to changes in traffic load. The key techniques that could be deployed in the RAN to substantially enhance energy efficiency are described in the following, which take int account the recent network energy-saving enhancements enabled by 3GPP 5G-Advanced.This calls for applying new optimization techniques leveraging standards from 3GPP and other organizations, innovations from the broader ICT sector such as 5G-Advanced dynamic energysaving techniques, cloud-native frameworks, virtualization and open architectures as well as more diverse deployment strategies including open RAN, small cells and shared infrastructure.

the current 5GC implementations based on a micro-services cloud-native architecture can make load-dependent adjustments
network deployment options (small cell densification, indoor solutions) and key system architecture enablers (virtualization, optimized workload instantiation, Open RAN)
applications and services Energy Efficiency techniques (media delivery optimization)
site solutions based on renewable energy

Connectivity as a sustainability enablerConnectivity plays a key role in enabling other industries to become more energy efficient and using 5G IoT solutions in manufacturing, agriculture and other verticals empowers players in these industries to track, manage and optimize their operations towards a more sustainable future.

Industry 5.0 Even though it took more than a century to move from one industrial revolution to the next, Industry 4.0 has advanced quickly. Digitalization has expanded dramatically through technology advancements in automation, robotization, data analytics, virtualization, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and devices. Industry 5.0 integrates resilient, sustainable, and human-centric technologies, organizational concepts, and management principles to improve ecosystems, supply chains and operations across industries.Industry 5.0 builds on Industry 4.0 where the priority has been automation, to focus more broadly on a human-centric approach, cross-sector collaboration, a circular economy and a shared vision of utilizing technology for a better future. Industry 5.0 will take advantage of human expertise and creativity to collaborate with machines, algorithms, and cognitive systems so that they can perform a large portion of tasks with resource-efficient operating solutions. The digital technologies in Industry 5.0 are also present in Industry 4.0. However, they provide additional value when considered from the resilience, sustainability, and human-centric perspectives. Industry 5.0 does not replace Industry 4.0 but supplements and expands it!

6G networks will deliver ultra-high data rates, ultra-low latency, ultra-high reliability, high energy efficiency, traffic capacity and other capabilities for industry 5.0 applications and use cases.
Private wireless networks will deliver localized, use case-specific network services. With 5G, private wireless networks can be used in many industries such as hospitals, schools and universities to deliver location-specific connectivity solutions. The integration of AI and blockchain would optimize the deployment of private wireless networks for industry 5.0 for cost effective deployment and wide adoption.
To continue the development of XR technologies toward industry 5.0, it will be vital to focus on zero-touch networking, edge computing, highly capable devices, and the enhancement of communications capabilities.

The evolution of Industry 5.0 is aligned toward prominent environmental considerations including “sustainable manufacturing,” “global warming,” “zero carbon emission,” and so on. Especially, the global logistics chain will be reshaped with the blessings of computer science and communication technologies. The remote manufacturing technologies are one of the prominent examples that reduce the gap between consumer and manufacturer using Internet integrated production. However, the future industrial paradigm is more sophisticated when compared with the previous generations as the industrial ecosystems comprise multitudinous endpoint Internet of Things (IoT) nodes, cloud systems, consumer applications, mobile applications, and so on. Ensuring the primary security standards including authentication, integrity, privacy, access control, and audit is required while preserving the performance requirements, computational limitations, and data protection regulations.

Society 5.0Our society is becoming increasingly digitized, hyper-connected, and globally data-driven. Academy, industry, and governmental and regulatory bodies are continuously coordinating efforts to meet the most ambitious and challenging societal needs, including economical, well-being, environmental, and sustainability aspects. Indeed,many radical and transformative changes are taking place in a short period of time. This can be easily understood by analyzing the evolution of society and industry, and its acceleration in the last centuries/decades.Societies are determined by context, including culture, economy, politics, communication, and many other social levels. During the transition from one society to another, changes occur at all these levels. Nomads, for instance, led a “first society,” where women gathered food andmen hunted in harmonious coexistence with nature. That was the panorama for a very long time. The “second society” was only triggered many thousand years later by the development of the agriculture, when humans became nonnomad and self-sufficient, and organization and nation-building efforts gained strength. The “third society” did not come until several thousand years later after the Industrial revolution in the eighteenth century, when the advent of factories and machines replacing manual labor led to production massification and currency exchange. During such an epoch, social class structures gained more distinction, people started fighting for and gaining social/economic/human rights, and transportation evolution propitiated rapid cultural and economical interactions. Just few hundred years later, the “fourth society” was triggered by the rise of the modern information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the era of the Internet. Our society, Society 4.0, is an information society that realizes increased added-value by connecting intangible assets as information networks. The massive access to information and virtual interaction among individuals influence social, cultural, economic activities at numerous levels, which reflect in every aspect of our daily lives. Note that technological and industrial changes are the ones potentially triggering society evolution, as they have the potential to influence many social levels in the short and long term.We are currently immersed in a new industrial revolution, known as Industry 4.0, with the potential to lead to a new society: the “fifth society”. Society 5.0 focuses on the human well-being in all the dimensions. Specifically, Society 5.0 aims to not simply provide the minimum services needed for individuals’ survival but to make life more meaningful and enjoyable through the holistic integration of the physical world and the cyberworld. The relationship with the sustainable society vision of the United Nations (UN), and specially with the corresponding sustainable development goals (SDGs) set for 2030.

Privacy taxonomyThe term privacy is generally known to be the assurance that individuals get the control or influence of what details related to them may be collected and stored and by whom and to whom the information may be disclosed. It is the capability that a person gets to seclude the information about themselves selectively.Privacy consists of psychological and social background, as it is based on personal interests and their social influence. It is identifyed a set of privacy functions for six types of privacy, namely solitude, isolation, anonymity, reserve, intimacy with friends, and intimacy with family. The privacy functions are autonomy, confiding, rejuvenation, contemplation, and creativity. It is defined another set of seven types of privacy as follows:

Privacy of the person: Right to keep body functions and body characteristics (e.g. genetic codes and biometrics) private.
Privacy of behavior and action: The capability to behave in public, semipublic, or one’s private space preserving privacy.
Privacy of communication: Avoid the interception of communications.
Privacy of data and image: Ensure that users’ data are not automatically available and controlled by other individuals and organizations.
Privacy of thoughts and feelings: The right not to share people’s thoughts or feelings or to have those thoughts or feelings revealed.
Privacy of location and space: Individuals have the right to move about in public or semipublic space without being identified, tracked, or monitored.
Privacy of association: People’s right to associate with whomever they wish, without being observed.

Privacy is difficult to define as it is a subjective concept and has different levels from person to person. Even the opinion on privacy that one may have may vary over time. Due to this nature, quantification of privacy can be difficult. However, based on the context, we may provide local standards and metrics related to different types of privacy. The process may need to incorporate with other fields such as psychological aspects.
The users have the right to question decisions made by AI that handles their personal data. Therefore, AI used in future network operations should be explainable, and responsible entities should explain how their AI made that decision and the possible assumptions. However,many of today’s machine learning algorithms put themselves in conventional black box view. Therefore, AI explainability can be considered to be one of the most important goals in terms of privacy requirements.