We are happy to announce the publication of the SNS White Paper “EMERGING 5G AND BEYOND ECOSYSTEM BUSINESS MODELS”, published by the 6G Industry Association (6G-IA) sub-working group Business Validation, Models, and Ecosystems (BVME-SG), with contributions from our partners at ICP and Ronan Frizzell.
This new white paper builds on and extends the prior work of the previous published white paper on “5G and Beyond 5G Ecosystem Business Modelling”, by presenting a focused application of the business modelling framework. To guide the discussion, the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) vertical is taken as an exemplary implementation that can be easily adapted and reproduced by other verticals.
The proposed framework outlines five key steps designed to help stakeholders in the 5G and beyond (B5G) ecosystem identify business opportunities and understand how different ecosystem configurations can impact their operations. Its application reveals valuable insights into strategic challenges driven by evolving ecosystem dynamics. Additionally, the framework offers forward-looking guidance relevant to emerging 6G technologies, supporting early business exploration in this space.
The white paper also addresses the impact of ecosystem changes on cost, first at a strategic level—highlighting synergies, competitive pressures, and economies of scale—and then through a more detailed technoeconomic analysis. This involves a redefinition of assessment methods to evaluate the viability of 5G/B5G deployments, focusing on:
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individual network deployments under specific assumptions, and
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role-based evaluations across ecosystem actors.
Finally, the white paper explores the expected shift from 5G to 6G, emphasizing the emergence of new roles within an increasingly distributed and disaggregated network architecture. Given the design similarities between 5G and 6G, the framework is expected to remain relevant and applicable as the industry transitions into the 6G era.
Access the paper here: https://6g-ia.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/6g-ia-white-paper-emerging-5gb-ecosystem-bms-1.0.pdf
