UAE telecom operator du and Khalifa University have outlined a blueprint for AI-native 6G networks that could transform telecom infrastructure from connectivity platforms into autonomous systems capable of sensing, predicting and acting in real time, while opening new revenue opportunities for operators.
The framework is detailed in du’s first industry whitepaper, The Intelligence Network: A 6G Blueprint for Telcos, developed by du Infra in collaboration with Khalifa University’s Digital Future Institute.
Alongside the research, du disclosed results from upper 6 GHz field trials conducted using live macro network infrastructure in Mohamed Bin Zayed City, Abu Dhabi. The trials achieved outdoor coverage of up to 500 metres and peak downlink speeds approaching 1.5 Gbps using existing site infrastructure.
The combination of research and live network testing provides an early indication of how du expects its existing 5G and 5G-Advanced infrastructure to evolve toward future 6G architectures.
du tests upper 6 GHz spectrum on live network
The upper 6 GHz trials are among the first in the region to test the performance of upper-mid-band spectrum at scale, according to du.
Conducting the trials on existing macro infrastructure is particularly relevant because future network economics will depend partly on how effectively operators can increase capacity without requiring completely new site footprints.
The tests achieved coverage of up to 500 metres outdoors while delivering peak downlink speeds approaching 1.5 Gbps.
du CEO Fahad Al Hassawi said the results demonstrate that the operator’s vision for future networks is already beginning to move beyond theoretical research.
“The next decade of telecom will be defined by how much intelligence they can deliver,” Al Hassawi said.
“Our upper 6 GHz field results show that this future is not theoretical. It is being built today, on our existing network, and positions du to lead the region’s transition toward AI-native, autonomous telecom infrastructure.”
6G envisioned as an AI-native network
The whitepaper positions 6G as a progression from 5G and 5G-Advanced toward networks that are software-defined and AI-native by design.
Rather than using AI primarily as an additional tool for network optimisation, the proposed architecture would embed intelligence more deeply into how networks operate.
du and Khalifa University envisage networks capable of sensing conditions, predicting requirements, making decisions and taking actions in real time.
The blueprint identifies intent-based orchestration, Network Digital Twins and Telecom World Models among the capabilities expected to enable this transition.
Such technologies could allow networks to model their own operating environments and increasingly automate decisions around resources and service delivery.
RAN could become an intelligence platform
The Radio Access Network is given a central role in the proposed architecture.
Traditionally responsible primarily for connecting devices to mobile networks through radio transmission, the RAN could evolve into an intelligent, energy-efficient and sensing-enabled platform.
This would expand the role of radio infrastructure beyond transmitting data toward helping networks understand and interact with their physical environments.
The concept reflects a wider 6G research direction in which communications, sensing, computing and AI capabilities increasingly converge within the same infrastructure.
du looks beyond connectivity for 6G revenue
The blueprint also addresses one of the telecom industry’s fundamental commercial challenges: rapidly increasing data consumption without equivalent revenue growth.
Citing GSMA Mobile Economy Report 2024 projections, du said mobile data traffic is expected to more than triple by 2030 while industry revenue growth remains comparatively modest.
The whitepaper therefore argues that operators need to convert network intelligence into commercial services rather than relying primarily on selling additional connectivity capacity.
Potential opportunities identified include AI-powered network operations, enterprise digital twins, autonomous AI agents and outcome-based service guarantees.
This could gradually reposition operators from providers of network access toward providers of programmable intelligence infrastructure for enterprises and other customers.
Autonomous networks form part of du’s roadmap
du said its 6G strategy builds directly on its existing 5G-Advanced foundation rather than treating 6G as an isolated future technology.
The roadmap is also connected to the operator’s commitment under the TM Forum Autonomous Networks Manifesto, with increasing network autonomy positioned as part of the transition.
This incremental approach could be important because commercial 6G networks remain a future development. Investments made in automation, software-defined infrastructure and 5G-Advanced can provide building blocks that operators can use before 6G reaches commercial deployment.
Khalifa University links research with live deployment
Khalifa University’s Digital Future Institute brings the academic research component to the initiative, while du provides access to real-world telecommunications infrastructure.
Khalifa University President Professor Ebrahim Al Hajri said the partnership demonstrates the importance of combining scientific research with practical deployments.
“By combining scientific expertise with real-world deployment, we are not only contributing to the evolution of AI-native 6G networks but also reinforcing the UAE’s position as a global hub for innovation, advanced technologies and knowledge-driven economic growth,” he said.
The collaboration also strengthens the UAE’s participation in early research around technologies likely to influence future global telecommunications standards and architectures.
Why this matters
du’s blueprint is significant because it frames 6G as more than another increase in mobile speed. The proposed shift is toward networks where AI becomes embedded in the infrastructure itself, enabling increasingly autonomous operations while potentially creating new commercial products around intelligence, digital twins and guaranteed outcomes.
The upper 6 GHz trials add a practical dimension to that vision. Achieving coverage of up to 500 metres and peak downlink speeds approaching 1.5 Gbps using existing macro infrastructure provides du with early evidence about how additional spectrum could contribute to future network capacity.
Editor’s note
The most important question around 6G may ultimately be economic rather than purely technical. Mobile traffic continues to grow much faster than telecom revenues, making another generation built primarily around higher speeds difficult to justify on its own. du and Khalifa University’s blueprint proposes a different value proposition: make the network itself intelligent enough to become a platform for new services. If operators can commercialise autonomous operations, digital twins, AI agents and outcome-based connectivity, 6G could represent a shift in the telecom business model as much as an evolution in radio technology.
