While much of the planet is still wondering how long it will take to get 5G networks, and what it could mean for your life and economy, a group of telecommunications researchers is already looking to the future and assessing what comes next: 6G.
It is clear that the current 4G LTE standard will dominate for several more years as telecom operators will try to recoup their huge investments in that infrastructure. Meanwhile, operators are proceeding cautiously with 5G. The deployment of 5G will be much more expensive than 4G due to the short distances that the signals can travel and the need for a higher density of equipment to transmit the signals.
When 5G technology becomes the dominant network (remember that the 5G network will become a standard at the end of 2019 and during 2020), it will be the biggest leap since the evolution of 2G networks to 3G. Not only does 5G promise theoretical speeds of 20 Gbps compared to the theoretical maximum of 1 Gbps for 4G, but it is latency-free and supports higher connection density in a smaller area. It will be promoted as a solution to enable smart cities, smart factories, autonomous vehicles, untethered VR streaming, and more.
What is 6G and why do we need it?
IMT-2020 (5G), a team dedicated to developing international mobile telecommunications systems, is already working – since 2019 began – in collaboration with the United States, Russia and the European Union, on 6G technology.
The 6G will be able to reach a download speed of up to 1TB per second and could cover communication under water. To get started. What else does 6G have to offer? The great answer is: Artificial Intelligence. AI will be the key factor in the development of this technology.
It will enable smart systems to solve tough tasks on the go. Therefore, it will greatly increase its reliability and efficiency.
To take an example, consider the example of autonomous vehicles. Their number is constantly increasing, hence in the future, these cars will need to be fed with data about their position and the position of nearby vehicles with a latency of less than a millisecond. Also, in a busy intersection where there will be hundreds of vehicles receiving data simultaneously, the information must be consistent and ultra-fast for the system to work efficiently.
Problems
Power generation and energy consumption appear as massive obstacles, both in terms of environment and cost. How can we move into a world where almost all manufactured objects constantly collect, analyze, and transmit data without cost-effective, renewable energy sources to ensure that we don’t burn the planet in the process?
The 6G will be a post-smartphone era as we know it today.
With everything that can be connected, the ability of all objects to capture and process visual data will be immense and will continue to accelerate automation and the evolution of AI. It will change the way we consume our data.
How much left?
If all this information causes a bit of vertigo, calm down, because this is still missing. The 6G network won’t come to us until at least 2030 , so there is time to get used to 5G and prepare for the next generation.
It is also true that while it is true that there are still many years to go, here and there there are signs that the momentum around research is beginning to grow . Recall that the Federal Communications Commission of the United States announced to be opening the “terahertz wave” for experiments on the next standards. And late last year, the Chinese government announced that it was stepping up work on 6G, aiming to dominate the industry by 2030. LG, for its part, also announced a few months ago the creation of a 6G research center in South Korea. The train is running and no one wants to be left behind.
