Just how fast does mobile technology evolve? The world’s first fifth-generation (5G) networks launched in 2019. Barely a year later, preliminary work began on 6G standards.
Although commercial 6G networks won’t debut until 2030, it’s not too early for device OEMs, systems integrators, and enterprises to start following the technology’s development to understand when and how to add it to their roadmaps.
For example, a new automobile typically takes at least three years to go from the drawing board to the showroom floor. By following 6G standards development and regulatory work, automakers can determine how its speed, latency, spectrum, and other attributes can support use cases such as fully autonomous driving and over-the-air (OTA) software updates for extending EV battery range. Automakers and their Tier 1 suppliers also could look for opportunities to use private 6G networks for factory automation.
Generation Gap
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) defines the criteria that each new mobile technology must meet in order to wear the label of 4G, 5G, and now 6G.
4G supports speeds of up to 100 Mbps in high-mobility environments, such as automotive and rail, and up to 1 Gbps in stationary environments. 5G supports peak speeds of up to 20 Gbps, which is 20 times faster than 4G LTE-A, and latencies as low as 1 millisecond versus 30-70 msec for 4G. (For a deeper dive, see “4G vs. LTE vs. 5G: How Mobile Technology is Evolving.”)
6G is expected to support up to 100 Gbps, which is more than enough for even the most demanding applications, such as live 8K drone video or streaming HD map updates to autonomous vehicles. 6G also is expected to leverage many of the same technologies it will support, such as using artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing to optimize network capacity, efficiency, and security — all of which can be just as important as raw speed for mission-critical applications.
Much of the 6G development work thus far has focused on potential use cases and their requirements, such as uplink and downlink speeds, latency, security, coverage, roaming, and battery life. As with previous generations, this work lays the foundation for standards that device OEMs, chipset suppliers, antenna manufacturers, mobile infrastructure vendors, and other ecosystem members will use to build 6G products.
Many potential 6G applications already exist, and many are already available with 5G, such as connected vehicles and smart factories. The key difference is that 6G will provide capabilities that expand those use cases and their market potential.
For example, fixed wireless access (FWA) services have been available since 3G, but they were niche because their speeds were too slow to compete with cable, DSL, and fiber. 5G leveled the playing field and made FWA a mainstream market opportunity for mobile operators. 6G could have a similar impact, such as making FWA viable for bandwidth-intensive enterprise applications that currently are exclusively fiber.
Another example is how 5G was designed to meet the unique performance, power, and price requirements for Internet of Things (IoT). Feature sets such as Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine-type Communications (mMTC), and Ultra-Reliable, Low Latency Communications (URLLC) enabled 5G to support IoT use cases that weren’t practical or even possible with 4G. These are helping 5G displace copper, Wi-Fi, and other technologies in verticals such as smart factories.
6G development is taking a similar approach. Organizations such as 3GPP, the NextG Alliance, and the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance are studying 5G’s limitations to ensure that 6G can close those gaps to meet even more application requirements.
New Spectrum Means New Antenna Considerations
Each new mobile generation stakes out new spectral territory for two reasons. The first is simply to meet insatiable consumer and business demand for mobile services. The second is to support new applications.
For example, 5G pioneered the use of millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum, which supports higher speeds than lower, traditional mobile bands. mmWave is one of the reasons why 5G has transformed FWA into a major business opportunity.
6G will continue this tradition by pioneering the use of terahertz spectrum, which is higher than the mmWave bands and thus capable of delivering even higher data rates. Making this spectrum usable will require extensive work by regulators and engineers alike.
Here are some resources for keeping up with the development of 6G in North America and the rest of the world:
- The NextG Alliance focuses on North American initiatives and has working groups covering aspects such as applications and spectrum. It also publishes white papers and other collateral such as “North American 6G Roadmap Priorities.”
- Despite its name, 5G Americas has been working on 6G for several years. White papers such as “The 6G Upgrade in the 7-8 GHz Spectrum Range” and “ITU’s IMT-2030 Vision: Navigating Towards 6G in the Americas” provide a deep dive into how operators, vendors, and regulators are working to standardize and commercialize 6G.
- The NGMN Alliance is a global organization led by mobile operators. Its publications and work groups provide insights into how 6G networks will differ from previous generations, such as through AI-powered autonomy.
