Although 5G has been around for more than three years, most countries have adopted frequency bands below 6 GHz, with only the United States, South Korea, and Japan deploying 5G mmWave commercially. , only a few countries such as Italy, Australia, and South Africa. . Challenges of signal attenuation in the atmosphere and susceptibility to obstructions are hindering the widespread adoption of mmWave. As these obstacles continue, research and development of 6G operating at even higher sub-THz frequencies has continued for several years.
Enhancing signal strength over long distances remains a central theme in 6G research. Beamforming remains an important technology for extending network coverage. Additionally, an effective design strategy should minimize transmission losses and leverage appropriate semiconductor technology to enhance the transceiver’s overall link budget.
Moreover, 6G will be much more than a terrestrial network. Non-terrestrial networks are emerging to enable 3D communications. Deploying 6G networks in a cost-effective manner requires creating a heterogeneous smart electromagnetic (EM) environment using smart skins, repeaters, and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS).
In terms of applications, 5G is currently mainly focused on the consumer mobile market, but it is also making progress in the private network space, especially with 5G-like applications in Industry 4.0. Moreover, 6G is poised to enable a wider range of applications, such as sensing, precise positioning, and many other services, compared to 5G.
Dr. Yu-Han Chang, Senior Technology Analyst at IDTechEx, will discuss the following subjects in this webinar to address some of the key developments and most pressing industrial challenges in 5G and 6G.
- 5G Advances Overview: An overview of 5G commercial advances over the past year and future growth prospects.
- 6G Technology Trends: Insights into key technology trends, identification of key contributors, and overarching goals in 6G development.
- 6G Network Enablers: Understand how non-terrestrial networks and smart electromagnetic (EM) environments through technologies such as smart skins, repeaters, and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) can contribute to the deployment of 6G networks.
- 5G and Future 6G Applications: Explore the current state of 5G deployment across industries and get a glimpse into the applications 6G may tackle in the future.
