Emerging trends and challenges in telecommunications: a review of 5G/6G, softwarization, edge intelligence, IoT security and enabling technologies

Volume: 11 | Issue: 02 | Year 2025 | Subscription
International Journal of Telecommunications & Emerging Technologies
Received Date: 11/04/2025
Acceptance Date: 11/08/2025
Published On: 2025-12-31
First Page: 38
Last Page: 43

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By: Gaurav Singh, Sameer Gupta, and Karan Gupta.

1-3 Research Scholar, Department of Computer and Information Technology, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

Abstract

Telecommunications research over the last decade has accelerated from the deployment and optimization of 5G to early explorations of 6G, driven by demands for extreme data rates, ubiquitous low-latency connectivity, massive device density and novel services such as extended reality (XR) and holographic communications. This review synthesizes recent developments across six interlocking technology areas: radio access and physical-layer advances (5G/6G), network softwarization (SDN/NFV), edge and cloud-native architectures, artificial intelligence for wireless networks, IoT security and privacy, and trust technologies (incl. blockchain). We identify cross-cutting trends— notably the shift from hardware-centric to software- and data-centric network design, the rise of edge intelligence, and security as a first-class design constraint. We critically evaluate open research challenges (spectrum and coexistence, trustworthiness of AI, orchestration across cloud–edge–device, scalable security for massive IoT) and outline opportunities for future work including explainable AI in networking, energy-efficient 6G design, and standardization of edge-native network slices. Two illustrative figures (taxonomy and trend plot) summarize the topic relationships and research momentum. This article cites recent surveys and representative works to provide a compact guide for researchers entering the field.

5G/6G, network softwarization, edge intelligence, IoT security, AI for wireless, blockchain-enabled trust

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Citation:

How to cite this article: Gaurav Singh, Sameer Gupta, and Karan Gupta Emerging trends and challenges in telecommunications: a review of 5G/6G, softwarization, edge intelligence, IoT security and enabling technologies. International Journal of Telecommunications & Emerging Technologies. 2025; 11(02): 38-43p.

How to cite this URL: Gaurav Singh, Sameer Gupta, and Karan Gupta, Emerging trends and challenges in telecommunications: a review of 5G/6G, softwarization, edge intelligence, IoT security and enabling technologies. International Journal of Telecommunications & Emerging Technologies. 2025; 11(02): 38-43p. Available from:https://journalspub.com/publication/ijtet/article=23032

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