A Review of the Developments in IoT Technologies Under 6G
1. School of Communication and Information Engineering, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210003, China
2. Zhongke Nanjing Mobile Communication & Computing Innovation Institute, Nanjing 210008, China
3. Network Communication Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, Shijiazhuang 050002, China
| Abstract: | In response to the paradigm shift of the Internet of Things (IoT) towards sensing-communication-computing integration and AI-native design driven by 6G, this paper systematically establishes an evolution roadmap and innovation framework for emerging IoT technologies. The core contribution lies in breaking the limitation of "pure connectivity" in traditional IoT and reshaping the future network architecture from three dimensions: spectrum revolution, native intelligence, and multi-dimensional fusion. It uniquely distills six core technical characteristics for 6G-driven IoT, including space-air-ground integration and distributed networking. Methodologically, the work deeply analyzes the architectural innovation and closed-loop management of Passive IoT (P-IoT) and AIoT, prioritizes technical pain points such as "time-varying network representation" and "time-deterministic routing" in satellite and Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) IoT, and forward-lookingly expands to the Internet of Space Things (IoST) for interplanetary exploration. By charting a coherent technical pathway, this review provides a high-value theoretical foundation and deployment blueprint for massive, ubiquitous, and green next-generation IoT systems. |
| Keywords: | 6G Mobile Communication; Satellite Communications; Internet of Things; Non-Terrestrial Network IoT |
| DOI: | 10.57237/j.cst.2026.03.002 |
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Received: 5 May 2026
Accepted: 10 June 2026
Published Online: 7 July 2026
Funding
| 1. | 国家自然科学基金 (92367302) |
| 2. | 江苏省基础研究计划 (自然科学基金) |
| 3. | 前沿引领技术基础研究专项 (BK20212001) |
| 4. | 江苏省前沿技术研发计划 (BF2025059) |
| 5. | 南京市重大科技专项 (202405025) |
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