The next evolution in wireless communications, 6G, is expected to arrive in 2030 due to increased demand for speed and bandwidth due to the explosive growth of connected devices and AI.
6G (sixth generation cellular) offers significant improvements in security, resiliency, reliability, latency, connection density, traffic capacity, spectral efficiency, and user data rates compared to 5G. It is expected to be 50 times faster than 5G, with theoretical top-end speeds of 1 Tbps, compared to 5G’s 20 Gbps. Keysight Technologies says it can handle 10 million devices per square kilometer, compared to 1 million with 5G.
Since 5G is just beginning to realize its potential and will take time to realize its potential, it is too early to predict all the ways 6G will change the way companies do business. But the possibilities are exciting.
Is 6G coming too soon?
5G was first introduced in 2019, and many wireless service providers are still upgrading their networks from 4G. Additionally, the first release of 5G-Advanced is expected to be released in 2024, and the second release by the end of 2025.
5G-Advanced is designed to enable an immersive user experience, introduce AI and ML enhancements, and improve support for low-power IoT devices. This establishes his 6G technology foundation.
There are arguments that we haven’t yet tapped into 5G’s full potential, and that 5G’s capabilities will continue to grow until it is fully rolled out and businesses start leveraging its capabilities to support more devices. may not be completely clear. Increased bandwidth, security, and reduced latency. This is also when you start to see what the major shortcomings are.
“Some people argue that we should delay 6G for a few years until we know what the limits are,” says David Witkowski, an IEEE senior member, author, advisor, and strategist who works at the interface of local governments and the telecommunications industry. says Mr.
“Now they want to build on what they’re doing with 5G-Advanced. Augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality will advance further, AI and ML will play a bigger role, network efficiency And we’ll see multiple antenna capabilities continue to evolve. If you look at the early 6G requirements right now, there’s very little that isn’t already moving in 5G.”
Building 6G momentum
Despite these concerns, the 6G train is already taking off. According to his 6G Framework published in November by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the requirements phase of 6G development has begun. Development of technical standards will begin in 2027 and deployment will begin in 2030.
Although the standard will take several years to complete, 6G pilot projects are already underway. In October, the EU allocated 130 million euros to 27 6G-related projects scheduled to start construction this year.
This is just a drop in the bucket compared to all previous 6G investments. Stephen Douglas, head of market strategy at UK-based telecommunications testing company Spirent Communications, said: “Governments have already committed $35 billion globally to accelerate and develop 6G in their domestic markets.” “It’s been assigned,” he said. “We’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s become a political issue, and there’s a lot of focus on what it could do to the economy in terms of GDP, and how much leadership it could provide in terms of technology.” are gathering.”
What’s so great about 6G?
While many of the 6G features are enhancements and improvements to existing capabilities, six of the 15 features listed in ITU’s 6G Framework are new. These include coverage area, sensing-related functions, AI-related functions, sustainability, interoperability, and positioning.
- coverage: 6G uses a new frequency spectrum and is expected to enable ubiquitous services, including in remote areas and indoors.
- Sensing: This allows connected devices to send 3D measurements and modeling of the environment they are in, enabling new industrial applications such as digital twins.
- AI: The plan is for 6G to support AI-enabled applications such as distributed data processing, distributed learning, AI computing, AI model execution, and AI inference. This deploys ubiquitous intelligence to devices, applications, and environments. Additionally, AI is expected to make the networks themselves smarter, allowing them to self-monitor, self-organize, self-optimize, and self-heal.
- sustainability: According to the framework, sustainability is a “fundamental aspiration” of 6G. Infrastructure is expected to be designed to minimize environmental impact, use energy efficiently, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Interoperability: Regardless of vendor, 6G systems will be designed from the beginning with transparent, standardized, and interoperable interfaces to ensure that all parts of the network work together. This includes support for his current 5G standard and satellite communications.
- positioning: 6G is expected to enable highly accurate positioning. The framework suggests an accuracy of less than 10 centimeters (approximately 4 inches).
Together, these new features will usher in a new era that is perhaps a bit difficult to imagine at this point. According to Europe’s 5G Infrastructure Association, 6G will become a “self-contained ecosystem of artificial intelligence” that will “enable near-instant, unlimited, and completely wireless connectivity” and “fundamentally reshape the way businesses operate.” You will have to do so.
6G could enable remote surgery in medical settings
The pace of technological change is accelerating across the board, and the transition to 6G is no exception. According to Moor Insights & Strategy analyst Will Townsend, things are accelerating more quickly with 6G than he did with 5G at the same point in its evolution.
And when it comes to speed, Townsend says this will be one of 6G’s biggest and most transformative improvements over 5G, as 6G moves into the terahertz spectrum range. “This is going to present challenges because the spectrum is so wide,” he says. “But with instantaneous connectivity, you can do some pretty amazing things. With terahertz, you get almost instantaneous delay, no delay or jitter. There are a number of sensory applications as well. You will be able to do it.”
For example, telemedicine applications will go from doctors giving advice over Zoom calls to actual remote surgeries. “To have haptic control over long distances, the latency has to be very low,” he says. Even with 5G, there is still some latency, he says.
Real-time remote control could also allow companies to remove humans from hazardous physical locations, such as mines, and allow equipment to be controlled remotely or operated autonomously.
6G heralds the era of sensory perception
The new 6G spectrum also brings other benefits. That means being able to sense the environment better, says Spirent’s Douglas. “Radio signals can be used as a sensing mechanism, much like sonar is used on submarines,” he says.
This enables use cases that require three-dimensional visibility and complete visualization of the surrounding environment. “You can plan stores, buildings, and all other environments, develop a holistic understanding of your surroundings, and use that to build new types of services for your market,” Douglas says. “What do you actually do with it? That’s where the developer community needs to get involved and see where the possibilities are.”
Another sensation that 6G enables is touch. “Currently, all communication is based on sight and sound,” he says. “However, mechanisms are currently being researched that would allow you to actually send a handshake to another person.”
All AI at all times
AI is gaining traction both for use cases that require advanced connectivity and as a tool to assist with network management. And AI is advancing rapidly. It seems like it’s moving faster than we can keep up.
That also applies to networks. It remains to be seen what applications AI will enable, but its high speed, low latency, and universal coverage will almost certainly help.
“As AI becomes more pervasive in our daily lives, from bots to autonomous things, we will need more bandwidth, faster speeds, and more edge computing.” said Ken Qualio, partner in Kearney’s communications, media and technology practice. Consulting company. “So 6G will help with all of this.”
On the operational side, carriers are already using AI for planning, and this trend will only accelerate in the future, he says. “6G will ensure that carriers can build and deploy self-managing networks. These networks adjust themselves based on demand, optimize transmission routes, and heal themselves. ”
According to Spirent’s Douglas, AI can also help develop more cost-effective networks, improve wireless performance, and reduce the amount of data that needs to be sent over the airwaves. “AI-powered compression he can build directly into the 6G standard,” he says. “Personally, I think we’ll see some of that in 5G Advanced because it’s such a great value. Why wait?”
AI can also help reduce the environmental impact of 6G, says Sara Lacelva, 6G specialist at Keysight Technologies. “For example, this technology can determine how to optimize power consumption by turning components on or off based on real-time operating conditions,” she says.
In general, the combination of complexity and large amounts of data makes wireless networks ripe for AI optimization, she says. “The next decade will transform the wireless industry as AI adoption matures,” she says.
With 6G, Townsend says there is also the potential for AI to be built directly into the network fabric. “This could become part of the service offering, rather than just being used as a back-office tool to make the network more efficient. It could lead to new use cases.”
For example, consider how 4G networks enabled the explosion of ride-sharing apps. “That was something no one expected,” Townsend said.
It’s even harder to predict the effect of combining 6G and next-generation AI, he says. “When we get this technology into the hands of software developers, innovation will really begin.”
