The future of mobile communications technology is on display this month in Barcelona, with Japanese mobile carrier NTT Docomo promoting several new high-tech devices. First, notice the term non-terrestrial network and the associated acronym HAPS.
HAPS is a high-altitude platform station launched to extend communications services beyond the reach of terrestrial networks to remote mountains, oceans, and low-Earth orbit. The station is an unmanned vehicle that can fly through the stratosphere for days or even months at a time.
These are key components of Space Compass, a joint venture between NTT, Docomo’s parent company, and Sky Perfect JSAT, tasked with building an integrated satellite communications and computing network in the stratosphere and in Earth orbit.
Docomo will also be exhibiting 6G, Open RAN, and XR (augmented reality) technologies at the Mobile World Congress 2024 event scheduled to be held in Barcelona from February 26th to 29th. In addition to creating new business, this should bring even more benefits. Influence the development of 6G industry standards.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government has decided to subsidize NTT’s efforts to work with Intel and South Korean memory chip maker SK Hynix to mass produce optoelectronic semiconductors for high-speed, low-power data transmission. NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation) is a Japanese national communications technology company.
Docomo’s 6G exhibit in Barcelona will include the latest wireless technologies, non-terrestrial networks, and human augmentation platforms for sharing sensory information between connected people.
In the human augmentation area, we will be holding an interactive demonstration of FEEL TECH, a technology that facilitates the transmission of tactile information through the recognition of touch, position, and movement, which is difficult to convey verbally.
Created by NTT Docomo, Keio University Embodied Media Project, and Nagoya Institute of Technology Haptics Laboratory, FEEL TECH is a device that detects a person’s sensory state, a so-called driving device that physically reproduces the same state in another person. It consists of. Human augmentation platforms share information between networked devices.
Tactile information is quantified as human touch vibrations measured by devices such as piezoelectric sensors. Vibration is reproduced using a transducer (drive device) that vibrates when electricity is passed through it. The platform uses the low latency of 6G mobile networks to synchronize shared haptic and video data.
The Open RAN (Open Radio Access Network) exhibit will include a 360-degree 3D virtual tour of Docomo’s OREX testing environment, demonstrations of automated network design and maintenance, and presentations on progress toward commercialization. OREX is Docomo’s Open RAN service brand.
The OREX deployment began in Japan last September using off-the-shelf servers powered by Fujitsu’s base station software, Wind River’s cloud platform, NVIDIA’s IC accelerators, and Intel processors. This is expected to reduce customers’ total cost of ownership by up to 30%, base station power consumption by up to 50%, and network design time by up to 50%.
Other companies partnering with OREX include NTT Data, AMD, HP, Qualcomm, US software developer Red Hat, Mavenir, and VMware. This collaboration is based on Open RAN principles, i.e. the efficient use of software and hardware from multiple vendors, increasing flexibility and cost savings compared to proprietary communication systems offered by Ericsson, Nokia and Huawei. has been proven to reduce
The XR exhibit will feature the first concept model of “smart” glasses developed by a joint venture between NTT QONOQ Devices and home appliance and smartphone manufacturer Sharp. As featured on the QONOQ website, the glasses consist of a small wearable computer with a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a transparent display, an 8-megapixel camera, a touchpad, and a battery pack.
On January 30, the Japanese government provided approximately 45 billion yen (US$305 million) in subsidies to support the development of mass production technology for optoelectronic convergence devices, which are the core of NTT’s IOWN concept for high-speed, high-speed communications. Then he announced. Capacity networks and information processing infrastructure. IOWN stands for Innovative Optical and Wireless Network.
Intel, which has been working on the IOWN project with NTT since 2019, will provide manufacturing expertise. SK Hynix is currently the leader in high-bandwidth DRAM memory for AI applications, bringing expertise in high-capacity, high-speed memory chips. The goal is to achieve terabit data transfer rates using 30% to 40% less power by 2027. So far, SK Hynix’s high-bandwidth memory has reached 288 Gbit/s.
Leaders of the IOWN Global Forum will be in Barcelona to discuss technology and its potential. Executives and technical experts from NTT, KDDI, Nokia, Ericsson, SK Telecom, Red Hat, Intel, and Fujitsu will also speak. The IOWN Global Forum was founded by NTT, Intel, and Sony.
NTT aims to introduce the IOWN network to the global market by 2030. If the technology works as planned, it should greatly accelerate advances in artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, digital twin computing, telemedicine, and other applications that involve large amounts of data. It could also act as a facilitator for Open RAN.
Officials from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry hope the IOWN project will be a game-changer that will help return Japan to a leading position in the global semiconductor industry. It has already provided an example of high-tech cooperation between Japan, South Korea, and the United States.
Follow this writer on X @ScottFo83517667
