Although 6G technology is still years away from commercialization, interest in its development is steadily increasing in the communications industry. This week, two Japanese telecom giants, NTT Docomo and NTT, expanded their 6G research partnership to include South Korean carrier SK Telecom and electronics testing specialist Rohde & Schwarz.
These new collaborators will contribute to various 6G trials underway in Japan. These tests are primarily aimed at identifying potential frequency bands useful for this evolving technology. In particular, SK Telecom will participate in a joint trial conducted by Docomo, NTT, and Nokia to explore the use of AI to customize wireless interfaces to suit diverse propagation environments.
An official statement from Nokia sheds further light on this partnership, hinting at the development of a “6G AI-Native Air Interface (AI-AI)”. This innovative technology has the potential to significantly improve network performance while also increasing energy efficiency. The main focus includes devising future proofs of concept for 6G AI-AI systems, which will be evaluated under real-world conditions.
Peter Vetter, director of Bell Labs Core Research at Nokia, rightly emphasized that service provider input is needed to build a first-class 6G system. Vetter said, “SKT, NTT and Docomo are among the most innovative service providers in the world, making him the perfect partner to design the networks of the future.” .
Considering SK Telecom’s ambitions to transform from a telecom company to an AI company, joining this partnership with Nokia and the Japanese telecom giant makes a lot of sense.
Meanwhile, Rohde & Schwarz will use its expertise in measurement system design technology to evaluate wireless sensing solutions under real-world conditions.
Docomo and NTT are already leading various 6G frequency trials in collaboration with several technology giants including Fujitsu, NEC, Nokia, Ericsson and Keysight Technologies. All of these are intended to play a pivotal role in shaping and standardizing 6G technology.
For example, Nokia has already successfully conducted beamforming tests in the 140 GHz band. Meanwhile, Fujitsu is experimenting with distributed MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology in the 100GHz and 300GHz bands. Next steps will include exploring more specific applications using the sub-THz spectrum in indoor environments.
