As the wireless industry looks ahead to 6G, discussions increasingly extend beyond raw performance metrics. The next generation of networks is expected to enable new classes of applications while also responding to growing expectations around environmental responsibility and long-term sustainability.

To support this broader conversation, the Next G Alliance hosts two complementary KPI databases, the 6G Applications KPI Database and the 6G Sustainability KPI Database, as shared resources for the 6G ecosystem.

While these databases are distinct, together they reflect a critical progression for 6G: moving from envisioned capabilities and use cases to measurable, accountable outcomes.

Clarifying Intent Through 6G Applications KPIs

Emerging 6G discussions are often anchored in what new applications could enable: immersive digital experiences, intelligent infrastructure, advanced sensing, and AI-native services. These use cases express intent; they describe what future networks are expected to support.

The Applications KPI Database captures this intent by identifying performance metrics associated with next-generation applications. It provides a structured way to understand what applications may require from networks, translating use case narratives into measurable performance characteristics.

By grounding application intent in KPIs, the database helps researchers, developers, and operators align innovation efforts around shared performance expectations, while preserving flexibility for multiple technical approaches.

Measuring Outcomes Through 6G Sustainability KPIs

In parallel, expectations for 6G extend beyond performance alone. As networks grow in scale and complexity, sustainability outcomes, including energy efficiency, environmental impact, and lifecycle considerations, are becoming central measures of success.

The Sustainability KPI Database focuses on these outcomes by cataloging metrics that make sustainability observable and measurable. These KPIs support the assessment of environmental impacts across different network components and across stages of deployment, operation, and evolution.

By translating sustainability intent into measurable indicators, the database supports informed decision-making and long-term accountability as 6G technologies mature.

Two Perspectives, One Measurement Mindset

While the Applications and Sustainability KPI databases address different dimensions of 6G, hosting them together reflects a shared measurement mindset: meaningful progress requires clarity, and clarity requires metrics.

Application KPIs help define what future networks are expected to enable.
Sustainability KPIs help define how those capabilities can be delivered responsibly over time.

Viewed together, these resources encourage the industry to consider performance and sustainability as parallel dimensions of readiness, both essential to understanding what success looks like.

Enabling Alignment Without Prescribing Outcomes

The KPIs captured in these databases represent an informed snapshot based on current industry knowledge and early 6G exploration. By making both KPI databases openly available, the Next G Alliance provides practical reference points for the 6G ecosystem. Researchers, operators, vendors, standards bodies, and policymakers can use these resources to inform design choices, research priorities, and technical discussions, without constraining innovation or prescribing implementation approaches.

As formal 6G service and use case definitions develop through 3GPP standards and our understanding of 6G applications, technologies, and sustainability factors deepens, these databases are expected to expand further. New applications, operational insights, and environmental considerations will influence how KPIs are refined, expanded, and interpreted over time.

The Next G Alliance encourages ongoing contributions and feedback from across the ecosystem to help ensure that the KPI databases accurately reflect real-world needs and emerging requirements. Through community engagement, these resources can continue to expand as shared tools that support informed decision-making and collective progress toward next-generation networks.

Explore the Next G Alliance 6G KPI Databases