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Governments, carriers and vendors start collaborating on 6G
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Although the standard will not be commercially available until 2030, early research and development has already begun.
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The US is working with Sweden, and South Korea already has multiple agreements on 6G.
Although the next generation of mobile phone standards, 6G, is expected to be six years away from commercialization, countries, carriers, and vendors are beginning to work together to lay the foundation for the next generation of wireless. The United States and Sweden recently partnered, and the two countries recently signed a technical and scientific cooperation agreement.
“We intend to regularly engage and focus on cooperation in next-generation communications, including 6G and beyond, as outlined in this vision, for the mutual benefit of the United States, the Kingdom of Sweden, and the broader international community,” the State Department said in a statement.
The move comes as governments, carriers and vendors seek ways to fast track the advent of 6G.
Analysts at Analysis Mason noted that 6G will be based on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technology from the outset, and will require less human intervention than previous mobile phone standards.
“6G’s sheer volume of data and the speed at which it can be transmitted far exceeds what humans can handle directly. 6G is primarily intended to connect machines involved in handling highly complex tasks, allowing humans to focus on what they want to achieve rather than how to perform the tasks,” the company said in the report.
Dealing with data overload is part of the job of 6G networks. How that data is used, stored and collated will be a fundamental cornerstone of 6G.
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The U.S. and Swedish governments plan substantial cooperation between academia, the private sector, and the “innovation ecosystem in this field.” President Biden and Swedish Prime Minister Christensen already planned to deepen their 6G research collaboration during their July 5, 2023 meeting.
There is also an emphasis on telecommunications jobs for 6G, as Swedish telecommunications vendor Ericsson is already offering jobs in the U.S. The agreement states it will “support workforce development and increasing diversity in the workforce and industrial base.”
South Korea is also making big waves in its early 6G developments. Korea Telecommunications (KT) and LG Electronics just signed a research and development (R&D) contract focused on 6G technology standardization. This comes after KT also signed a similar R&D contract with Nokia in May 2024.
South Korea launched its 6G plans in 2021. The United States and South Korea have already agreed to encourage joint research and development of emerging technologies, including 6G.
