6G technology: a solution that will change telecommunications
Although many aspects of 6G technology are still in a developmental phase, it has enormous potential. Specially designed, innovative new equipment and infrastructures will enable this project to guarantee adequate support for the mobile network of the future.
While this technology is currently being defined at a theoretical level, numerous technical teams are working relentlessly so that it can be completed as soon as possible and provide precious support in an era when reality and the digital world increasingly overlap.
Is a new network standard really necessary in the immediate future?
Considering that the first 5G infrastructures only came onto the market in 2019 and this high speed network is so recent that it is not yet able to offer global coverage, it is only natural to wonder whether 6G technology is really necessary in the immediate future.
The need to replace the very recent 5th Generation technology so soon, when it has only just becoming established and is only supported by a small number of devices, seems to be the result of a sudden and unexpected increase in the volume of data exchanged on mobile networks.
Certain factors have played a crucial role in this, for example:
- the use of collaboration platforms to facilitate remote working during the recent lockdown;
- user demand for entertainment such as video streaming or other mobile applications.
The pandemic is not the only cause behind the current situation however; it has only served to accelerate a change which had been underway for some time. The real impetus of the digital transition started with the rise of the so-called ‘new normal’: a new approach to work including, among other things, the current models based on smart working.
This combination of factors has therefore led to a steady increase in the amount of data generated, as mentioned before, as well as a series of difficulties facing 5G (a very high performing technology) relating to the management of all this traffic. This is a significant problem, which could be resolved with the switch to 6G, by the year 2030 at the latest.
At what stage is the development of 6G technologies?
As already mentioned, 6G technology is still under development and most of the infrastructures necessary to support it are only at the design stage, so it is important to emphasise that the creation of new mobile telecommunications standards does not necessarily need to start from scratch.
Certain pre-existing applications can in fact provide an excellent starting point. These include three in particular which, with a few adjustments and modifications, would be able to provide a suitable technological background for the 6th Generation. They include:
- milimetric waves (perfect for reaching the TeraHertz frequency and achieving greater bandwidth on the channel);
- enhanced MIMO (using microwaves to enable the operation of tens of antennae on a single device);
- ‘dense’ networks (which enable a more efficient use of the bandwidth).
The introduction of 6G technology will still require more research, strategic planning and a detailed study of implementation criteria. Nevertheless, experts are convinced that by using the measures listed above, realistic proposals will be possible by the date estimated.
Artificial intelligence will also make a large contribution, with its integration into network connections allowing completely autonomous traffic management. It will also be able to re-direct traffic towards other connections to avoid congestion.
The applications expected to benefit most from the properties of 6G include driverless cars (as mentioned above), extended reality (XR) and high resolution (8K and 16K) holograms.
