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.”
