Abstract

Sustainability has entered all aspects of society, including the information and communication technology (ICT) sector. ICT-based services and solutions, where mobile communication systems represent a considerable development, can significantly contribute to different sectors’ attempts towards achieving sustainable development goals. At the same time, the ICT sector’s own sustainability impact is crucial. This dual role of ICT and particularly mobile communication systems, as an enabler and a responsible for sustainability impact in society sets important new design principles for the development of future ICT systems. One specific example is the upcoming sixth generation (6G) mobile communications technology, which is expected to appear in 2030. The recently started research and development on 6G has already identified sustainability as the key design criterion, primarily through the existing UN SDG framework and the individual perspectives of the triple bottom line of economic, social, and environmental sustainability resulting in new requirements, unlike in the development of 5G. This chapter addresses sustainable 6G technology design from the triple bottom line of sustainability and the UN SDG framework and presents design criteria for 6G technology design in order to meet requirements arising from the different sustainability perspectives.