NR Sidelink-Based Virtual CommunityNetwork in mmWave Unlicensed Band: Deployment Ecosystem and Link-Level Evaluations for 6G

Millimeter-wave (mmWave) communication standards in the unlicensed band—such as IEEE 802-based wireless personal area networks (WPANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), and 3GPP-led cellular networks (CNs)—have faced challenges in achieving commercial acceptance for over a decade. To enable widespread adoption of mmWave communication systems, a concept called the mmWave virtual community network (VCN) has recently been proposed. In this architecture, a decentralized WPAN-style device-to-device (D2D) community coexists with centralized WLANs and CNs in the unlicensed mmWave band via multi-hop links. However, the current mmWave VCN concept lacks a clear definition of strategic and technical enablers to support large-scale commercial deployment. To address this gap, this paper proposes a strategic ecosystem that promotes mmWave VCN deployment for the mutual benefit of both decentralized and centralized entities. Specifically, the decentralized community—enabled by mmWave D2D communication—supports the coverage expansion of mmWave WLANs and CNs. In return, the CN operator incentivizes distributed communities through a reward mechanism, ensuring mutual growth and cooperation. Furthermore, we propose “New Radio Sidelink for mmWave Unlicensed (NR SL-mmW-U),” as a technical enabler of mmWave D2D communication, thereby materializing a sidelink-native mmWave VCN with concrete specifications. We evaluate the proposed sidelink-native mmWave VCN via a link-level simulation and initial incentive theory-based analytical model, thereby providing preliminary assessments of its feasibility in meeting the key requirements for realizing the envisioned ecosystem.