This book tackles the 6G odyssey, providing a concerted technology roadmap towards the 6G vision focused on the interoperability between the wireless and optical domain, including the benefits that are introduced through virtualization and software defined radio. The authors aim to be at the forefront of beyond 5G technologies by reflecting the integrated works of several major European collaborative projects (H2020-ETN-SECRET, 5GSTEPFWD, and SPOTLIGHT). The book is structured so as to provide insights towards the 6G horizon, reporting on the most recent developments on the international 6G research effort.

The authors address a variety of telecom stakeholders, which includes practicing engineers on the field developing commercial solutions for 5G and beyond products; postgraduate researchers that require a basis on which to build their research by highlighting the current challenges on radio, optical and cloud-based networking for ultra-dense networks, including novel approaches; and project managers that could use the principles and applications for shaping new research proposals on this highly dynamic field.