August 2021
With huge infrastructure investments and consumer subsidies becoming widely available, accurate metrics and insights to identify areas of greatest need will be more critical than ever. While shortcomings of the current data are widely known, alternative crowd-sourced data collection methodologies that are open-source, transparent, accurate, reliable, and scalable are elusive and met with opposition from special interests. This track examines possibilities and solutions from all sides.
The next billion will come online with a different set of use cases and a different relationship with the network than past generations of users. These cloud natives will start using networks that are integrated into their daily lives more seamlessly than ever before. How can we leapfrog network safety and security for them so that they can skip over security problems of the past and present? What lessons can we learn from the past? What would we do differently? What are we able to change?
Not all computer and internet users are equally knowledgeable about how to protect themselves online. The least digitally literate may be at the most risk. Awareness of online threats may not be non-existent or easily forgotten and user training may not account for the unique needs of the unconnected.
Issues to be discussed include:
- What happens in real life when we bring vulnerable populations online?
- What should people be taught?
- Can our technology be better designed to protect those that need it most?
Unlike any technology before it, 6G is expected to democratize connectivity and its benefits. As it is created against the backdrop of the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and informed by a clear, pandemic-driven view of the costs of the digital divide, digital equity will be front and center in the planning of 6G. This track will consider the technical possibilities, the social impacts, and the critical considerations in using 6G to provide connectivity and opportunity for all.