With the commercialization and development of 5G technology, the research on 6G has gradually become a hot topic in the field of communications. This article will explore the evolution process of 5G-Advanced to 6G, especially the foundation laid by 3GPP R17, R18 and R19 standards for 6G studies, and look forward to future development trends and their applications in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Evolution of 5G-Advanced - R17, R18 and R19
1. 3GPP Release 17 (R17)
R17 is an important part of the evolution of 5G standards. It introduces a series of enhanced features, such as NR-Light (RedCap) to support low-complexity IoT, as well as enhanced MIMO capabilities and newly announced Non-terrestrial Network (NTN) functions. The main goal of R17 is to expand the application scenarios of 5G so that it can cover more vertical industries and use cases.

2. 3GPP Release 18 (R18)
R18 is known as the starting point of 5G-Advanced, which marks the second phase of innovation in 5G technology. R18 further enhances mobile broadband performance, expands IoT and industrial applications, and introduces network optimization technologies driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). This phase of technological innovation has laid a solid foundation for the evolution from 5G to 6G.

3. Groundbreaking Release 19 Project
R19 further deepens the technical evolution of 5G-Advanced, focusing on the overall improvement of system performance and the expansion of new use cases. R19 not only continues to enhance MIMO performance and device mobility but also studies the feasibility of higher frequency bands (such as 7-24 GHz), heralding the use of a wider spectrum in the 6G era.
The evolution of 5G is an ongoing process, with each release introducing new features and improvements. 5G-Advanced is compliant with Release 18 (just released), as well as future Releases 19 and 20 (focusing on 6G studies).

Key improvements:
・Enhanced Uplink Throughput: Provides a superior experience for XR/VR/AR applications and seamlessly merges the physical and virtual worlds.
・Advanced Positioning and Time Synchronization: Offers sub-10cm accuracy consistently both indoors and outdoors, along with time synchronization as a service. This is highly beneficial for diverse use cases such as smart power grid control and industrial automation.
・Extended 5G RedCap: Expands the implementation to more IoT scenarios with lower complexity and reduced power consumption.
・Satellite Communication Connectivity: Extends connectivity to satellite communications (NTN).
・AI and Machine Learning Integration: Enhances operational efficiency in the core network and optimizes bandwidth utilization through AI and machine learning fusion.

5G-Advanced scenarios at glimpse:
XR (AR, VR, gaming): Through the expanded bandwidth and ultra-low latency, XR devices can process rich content and edge computation at the device side, which significantly reduce the power consumption and provides an optimal experience for users.
UAV (Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles): 5G-Advanced will bring prominent enhancements for UAVs as it further reduces latency and improves uplink performance. Allowing UAVs to be widely deployed in applications such as last-mile delivery, warehouse logistics, patrol, paving the way for future technological advancements.
Industrial IoT: The integration of 5G-Advanced such as RedCap in the IIoT will not only bring a cost-down solution for a more flexible and smarter operation in the manufacturing production line but also ensure the prominent key features of 5G will be adapted to the local deployment smoothly.

Towards 6G—Standards and Technology Outlook
1. The technical foundation of 6G
6G will continue to promote the development of new technologies based on the innovative achievements of 5G-Advanced. Key technologies include the use of ultra-high frequency bands, full-duplex communication, AI/ML, integrated sensing and communication, and network energy efficiency optimization. These technologies will provide 6G with higher transmission rates, lower latency, and wider connectivity.

2. Formation of future standards
The standardization of 6G will start with R20 and is expected to be implemented around 2030. Future 6G standards will focus on performance requirements that exceed 5G, such as (6G is expected to perform at 1 terabyte per second, which is 1,000-times faster than 5G speeds.) And the 6G network is expected to make decisions on its own at every layer.

3. Wider application scenarios
In the future, 6G will further bridge the physical world and virtual world in these applications, from the initial mobile broadband to industrial IoT, Internet of Vehicles, telemedicine, gaming, etc., and introduce more emerging applications.
The evolution of 5G-Advanced to 6G is driven by the demand for higher-level intelligence and the speed of supporting these intelligent operations. From the gradual advancement of R17, R18 to R19, we can see a process of continuous innovation and continuous progress. In the future, 5G-Advanced will pave the way for 6G, it will further push the boundaries of communication technology based on existing technologies, and bring more applications and innovations to the fields of the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.