Research in the telecommunication domain is running at unprecedented pace in several areas spanning from propagation to multimedia processing and distribution, from optical to non-terrestrial telecommunication networks, from network intelligence for resource management to machine learning for security. Therefore, it is expected that several breakthroughs will stem in different research areas. However, the actual achievement of the desired impact in terms of new market opportunities and increased competitiveness of the relevant industries of such breakthroughs will happen only if they are inset into a coherent architectural framework. Objective of this talk is to discuss the main features of an open architecture capable of integrating innovative solutions developed in different communication and networking domains into a holistic framework that is coherent from both a technical and a business point of view. Such architecture should encompass all elements of the future network with special emphasis on the network edge and extreme edge where network functions will be executed. To achieve such goals the network architecture must be based on the concept of Digital Twin, suitably extended to meet the needs of a future telecommunication network, capable of supporting 6G and beyond services and considering sustainability as a major design driving force and thus focusing on key value indicators (KVIs) besides the key performance indicators (KPIs). In the envisioned architecture DTs will be implemented as a composition of microservices running across a fully distributed peer-to-peer platform to guarantee robustness, resilience and to remain open to the entrance of new players. Also, we will discuss how such network architecture can exploit generative artificial intelligence to make continuous innovation possible.
