As part of the 5G-PPP Initiative, the Software Network Working Group prepared this white paper to demystify the concept of the Network Applications. In fact, the Network Application ecosystem is more than the introduction of new vertical applications that have interaction capabilities. It refers to the need for a separate middleware layer to simplify the implementation and deployment of vertical systems on a large scale. Specifically, third parties or network operators can contribute to Network Applications, depending on the level of interaction and trust.

The overall goal of the Architecture Working Group (WG) within the 5G PPP Initiative is to consolidate the main technology enablers and the bleeding-edge design trends in the context of the 5G Architecture. As a result, it provides a consolidated view of the architectural efforts developed in the projects part of the 5G PPP initiative and other research efforts, including standardization. This effort serves not only to review the current state of the art, but also to identify promising trends towards the next generation of mobile and wireless communication networks, namely, 6G.

To support the pervasive digital evolution, optical network infrastructures must be able to quickly and effectively adapt to changes arising from traffic dynamicity or external factors such as faults and attacks. Network automation is crucial for enabling dynamic, scalable, resource-efficient, and trustworthy network operations. Novel telemetry solutions enable optical network management systems to obtain fine-grained monitoring data from devices and channels as the first step toward the near-real-time diagnosis of anomalies such as security threats and soft failures.

This white paper is the continuation of the 5G-PPP TMV Working Group white paper entitled «Beyond 5G/6G KPIs and Target Values». The latter provided an early analysis of possible Beyond 5G/6G KPIs based on current work and perspectives from ICT-52 projects, seeking to understand the level to which existing definitions in standard documents will apply to 6G and to identify, at early stages, gaps and new candidate KPIs for being standardized for 6G systems.

The main objective of this document is to present the current view of the available B5G and 6G KPIs from 5G PPP phase III projects with a focus on projects of the ICT-52 call. This view includes mapping to KPIs previously defined for 5G and evaluating how they might evolve to fit the B5G and 6G visions.