Daily Dose of 6G

Edition 25

1 October 2026

SA6 plans the 6G application layer: agents, compute, sensing

TR 23.801-02 is SA6’s study of what applications get from 6G. It has eight work tasks, and third-party AI agents, compute offload and sensing exposure appear across several of them.

In 60 seconds

Eight work tasks: exposure, enabler services, AI/ML, communication, compute, sensing, digital twin and common aspects.
Exposure: intent-based exposure, third-party AI agents, and evolving CAPIF.
AI/ML: agent protocol compatibility, generative AI support, and responsible-AI information.
Compute and sensing: intent-driven offload, UE-hosted services, and cross-PLMN sensing federation.

SASA6 · TR 23.801-02 v0.4.1

The key issues, by work task

Work task	Key issues (selection)
Exposure framework	Intent-based exposure; third-party AI agent exposure; inter-network coordination; API performance; CAPIF evolution
Enabler services	Data management; energy; slicing; MMTel enablement; streaming
AI/ML	Training data; core AI service exposure; agent protocol compatibility; generative AI; task discovery; agent coordination
Communication	Enablement-layer traffic assistance; error-tolerant transmission; satellite access
Compute + communication	Resource registration; intent-driven offload; privacy-preserving distributed compute; UE-hosted services
Sensing + communication	Non-3GPP sensing; ISAC for verticals; cross-PLMN federation; result validation
Digital twin	Application twin lifecycle; using the network digital twin

SASA6

What stands out

Agents are treated as API consumers. “Third-party AI agent exposure” puts external agents on the same footing as applications calling network APIs. The agent-protocol key issue has to stay consistent with CT3’s protocol study (Edition 30).
The UE can host services. Compute key issues include UE-hosted services and UE-side support, not only edge-cloud offload.
Sensing is federated. ISAC results may come from another operator’s network, so the report asks how to federate them and validate results across PLMNs.
CAPIF carries forward. The 5G common API framework, which already hosts CAMARA, ETSI MEC and TM Forum APIs, is to be evolved rather than replaced.

SAFS_6G_APP

Owners and status

Rapporteur: Walter Featherstone. Work item FS_6G_APP (UID 1100019), targeted for June 2027. SA6 is chaired by Atle Monrad (InterDigital).

Still open

Everything. The report states its conclusions will form the basis for potential 3GPP 6G application enablement and exposure normative work. None are written yet.

Watch next

SA6 Prague (12–16 Oct): the first solutions on third-party agent exposure.
SA2#178 (November): the core architecture choice determines what SA6 can expose.

Sources

FriendlySpec — TR 23.801-02 v0.4.1 (work tasks, key issues)
3GPP — CT3 exposure framework and APIs (CAPIF background)

Report contents are read from FriendlySpec renders of the draft TRs. Drafts change at every meeting; nothing in a draft TR is agreed until its conclusions are.