TECHNOSAVVIE: 6G Network Technology

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Saturday, 25 January 2025

6G Network Technology

 

6G: What It Is, How It Works, When It Will Launch


6G is the sixth generation of cellular technology that promises to provide faster speeds, more efficient communication and wider network coverage than 5G. Here’s when it could arrive, how it could work and its pros and cons.
6G technology is the sixth generation of cellular technology that promises to provide diverse connectivity at microsecond speeds. Still in development, the mobile network will operate via higher radio frequencies with greater capacity and 1,000 times faster latency than 5G.

What Is 6G?

6G is the sixth generation of mobile network standards for cellular technology. Building off of 5G, 6G will operate on higher radio frequencies, providing more bandwidth and lower latency at microsecond speeds.

Even though 5G has barely made it out the gate, it’s already being outmoded by new tech’s rapid pace. As it stands, telecommunication services collect information from the network, externally run it through artificial intelligence (AI) machines and use the results to go back in and manually reconfigure the network. But with 6G, “we expect that the network should be able to make decisions on its own at every layer

 

What Is 6G?

6G is the sixth generation of cellular network technology that promises to further enhance wireless communications. While the 6G network will take advantage of 5G’s existing infrastructure, it differentiates itself by using ultra-high radio frequencies to carry more data at faster speeds, and it will have built-in AI with machine learning.

With 6G, users can expect to instantaneously transfer data and do away with buffering, lags and disconnections. In a similar way to how 2G gave us text messaging and 4G introduced an entire mobile app system, 6G will enhance machine-to-machine communication, creating greater interoperability in a “smart,” Internet-of-Things era.

“Faster wireless communication means not just faster video streaming or file downloads, but the potential for new applications ranging from networked vehicles, smart factories and collaborative virtual and augmented reality

Differences Between 5G and 6G

6G will expand on top of the existing wireless communication infrastructure of 5G, and it will be designed to surpass 5G technology in every way. In terms of speed, 6G is expected to deliver one terabyte (1,000 gigabytes) of data at one microsecond, while 5G delivers 20 gigabytes at 1 millisecond (1,000 microseconds) — potentially making 6G 1,000 times faster than 5G.

5G laid the groundwork for a user-centric model, providing broadband at scale and enabling the launch of IoT. It brought “hyperconnectivity,” Mishra said, “making human-to-machine communication possible.” But 6G’s technology will shift to a service-centric approach by accelerating the tech we know now into a more integrated digital world.

With less latency and faster communication, 6G will primarily serve machine-to-machine communication — simply because it’s so fast that our brains can’t perceive the difference.

“For human consumption,”  “I don’t think 6G will change anything.”

When Is 6G Coming?

Experts expect 6G to be deployed by 2030. At the earliest, it could be 2028, according to researchers at IDTechEx.

“5G is still in its prime and, as adoption remains low, 5G carriers struggle to see a return on their investment,” Trevor Francis, CEO of telecommunications company 46 Labs, told Built In. “Lack of 5G adoption will likely push the need for 6G back even further.”

 

How Will 6G Work?

While the specifics of 6G are still in development, previous generations hint at how 6G could operate. Routers, antennae, base stations and other infrastructure left over from the 5G era will likely retain their roles in this new generation of cellular technology. Meanwhile, 6G networks could calculate absorption and tweak their wavelengths accordingly using different frequencies. This is made possible by two principles:  

  1. Atoms and molecules emit and absorb electromagnetic radiation at specific wavelengths.
  2. For any material, the emission and absorption frequencies are the same.  

As a result, 6G could unlock a broader range of spectrum, make wireless communication even more efficient and produce wider network coverage on devices. This could lead to future applications that improve public safety, enable health monitoring systems and advance facial recognition technology.

 

Who Is Working on 6G?

Governments, telecommunications providers, infrastructure companies, academic institutions and industry leaders are all currently developing tech for 6G networks.

For instance, South Korea’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute is working on terahertz frequency bands for faster speeds. Also, Japan’s Osaka University has teamed with Australia’s Adelaide University to develop a silicon-based microchip, so-called a multiplexer, that is used to split and join frequencies for easier transmission.

Advantages of 6G

New Spectrum Bands

Each new generation of mobile networks features a new spectrum of radio waves. In a section known as the mid-bands, 6G will be introducing a range that spans from 7 to 20 gigahertz, improving on 5G’s 24-to-40 gigahertz. “The lower the frequency bands are, the wider the area that can be covered,” 

Low Latency, Faster Speeds

Latency, or the time it takes for a signal to bounce back round trip, will drop to the microsecond with 6G. Comparatively, users today typically experience a millisecond delay. Although this is a 1,000 times faster speed, it’s insignificant to the human eye. Reliability and overall functionality from real-time applications will become seamless. 

Seamless Connectivity

As one of the key features to come out of a 6G network, machine-to-machine communication is anticipated to streamline significantly. AI would not only be built into the framework, but also capable of handling AI-enhanced tech. The network will better integrate and advance the Internet-of-Things ecosystem, deep learning, cloud data centers and mobile edge computing. Its infrastructure would be able to support 10 million devices per square kilometer, topping 4G’s 100,000 per square kilometer. 

Unlimited Accessibility

The 6G wireless network will be able to merge aerial, ground, sea and even space communications onto one platform. Operating on a new radio spectrum enables users to interact with devices that hold low data rates, such as biosensors and IoT devices, as well as those on the high end, like a cellphone mid-flight or en-route a bullet train.

“The future involves connectivity like we’ve never seen before — connected devices, smart cities and autonomous vehicles all process significant amounts of data,” Francis said. “To enjoy the internet speeds we’ve become accustomed to, and better, requires a higher frequency.”

Disadvantages of 6G

Expensive to Build

To get 6G up and running, a new infrastructure will need to be deployed at scale, and that’s expensive. Designing new hardware that combines AI, nodes, edge computing and cloud data systems into new towers and antennae is the challenge. The good news is that many components, like physical layers and media access control, can be virtualized, so it’s only a matter of a software overhaul.

“To justify such a massive investment, 6G will most certainly need ‘killer apps’ that truly benefit from a quantum leap in wireless speeds and performance to be identified,” Kumar said. “However, if past history is any indication, the jump from 3G to 4G, for example, led to transformative new applications, ranging from video streaming and mobile gaming to ride-hailing apps.” 

Vulnerable to Security Breaches

The size of 6G’s attack surface will inevitably increase, thanks to IoT, virtualized networks and open-source technology. This means that unauthorized users have more points of entry to potentially breach than before. Consider Deloitte’s report, finding that there are 21 connected devices in a United States’ household on average.

Research suggests that data processing, threat detection, traffic analysis and data encryption top the list of critical concerns for 6G networks. High mobility requires interconnected networks; however, the more centralized a system is, the more prone to security threats it becomes. Fortified hardware, predictive capabilities of AI and machine learning, blockchain and quantum encryption are being entertained as possible security solutions.

 

Do We Need 6G?

6G may end up being a game-changer for developing technologies. Self-driving cars, smart cities and virtual and augmented reality could become more sustainable with 6G’s ability to connect devices through AI and machine learning. 6G also promises to bring together different types of technology, like deep learning and big data analytics, creating more possibilities for harnessing large amounts of data. 

Another reason 6G holds so much promise is its relationship with high-performance computing (HPC). The link between these two technologies could supplement edge computing and help process the large volumes of data traveling between IoT devices. 

Of course, the impact of 6G depends on what role these other emerging technologies play in society. For the time being, 6G offers a future where these technologies seem more practical than ever, thanks to more powerful high-speed connections.

Why Do We Need 6G and What Are the Challenges?

6G, compared to its predecessor, is expected to offer significantly better communication capabilities, such as Tbps-level peak data rates, microsecond-level latency, and 99.99999% network dependability.
 
Although 6G promises a lot, it is unlikely that 6G will be in daily life soon, despite the fact that several important companies and nations have already begun 6G research, as shown in the figure below, the telecom industry needs to address several issues before seeing the success of 6G. The difficulties are not only in THz technology but also in identifying applications that will fuel 6G adoption. IDTechEx has been researching 5G and 6G for years. This article will discuss some of the hardware-related hurdles to 6G connectivity, as well as potential applications that could drive 6G.
 

 
Challenges in THz Technology
 
6G will use a spectrum above 100 GHz and will ultimately reach THz. The advantages of employing such a high frequency are obvious: huge bandwidth may be used, allowing for Tbps peak data flow with microsecond-level latency. However, there are several limitations to employing such a high-frequency spectrum.
 
One of the most significant challenges ahead is that the THz signal attenuates considerably in the air, restricting the transmission range and making it easily blocked by obstructions. Because the laws of physics cannot be ignored, the most crucial element for creating a device for high-frequency communication is to provide enough energy to achieve a reasonable transmission range, even as part of an antenna array.
 
Choosing the right semiconductors to increase link range is the most critical. Below is an overview of semiconductor technology choices operating above the 100 GHz spectrum. CMOS can cover devices operating below 150 GHz, especially for short-range communication requirement devices (For longer range, using other semiconductors such as SiGe or III-V for power amplifiers may still be required). When it comes to frequencies above 200 GHz, however, a combination of CMOS for logic and III-V transistors for low-noise amplifiers and power amplifiers will be the way to go. SiGe BiCMOS technology currently provides the best compromise in terms of performance, low cost, and simplicity of integration for frequencies ranging from 200 GHz to 500 GHz. InP could be the ultimate THz technology and may be suitable in applications where cost is not the primary concern.
 
 
Other active research and development areas aside from semiconductor technologies include the need to find ultra-low-loss materials with a low dielectric constant and tan loss to avoid significant transmission loss, develop a novel packaging methodology that tightly integrates the RF components with antennas, and manage power and thermal issues as devices become more compact and complex. 
 
Applications That Could Fuel 6G Adoption
 
It is essential to identify key business use cases to stimulate the uptake of new technologies. Despite carriers' touting the superior performance that 5G mmWave provides, the mmWave market has yet to take off despite years of 5G's commercialization. The vast majority of 5G build-outs continue to use 5G sub-6 GHz. The reasons? The one reason that most people mention, according to IDTechEx's primary interviews, is the absence of applications that can be only enabled by mmWave and no other technologies. The same question about 6G will be asked: why is it needed?
 
From a consumer's perspective, having a Tbps data link and microsecond level latency but paying a higher subscription fee will probably not be attractive if the applications on their mobile devices are pretty much the same as what they have right now. We've heard a lot about hypes going on metaverse enabling by 5G and 6G, yet, the real-life use cases that can drive widespread adoption are still lacking. However, it should not be forgotten that 6G will have its unique capability in sensing, imaging, precise positioning, and so on. These characteristics will open other business use cases and enable 6G to be used in areas beyond mobile communication, which can further drive advanced digitalization and automation of various industries. For example, using 6G networks to achieve accurate perception and centimeter-level positioning of mobile robots, demonstrating the ability to remotely control mobile robots to pick up and carry various objects. At the same time, this transmission link also carries the high-speed wireless transmission of real-time high-definition video between the mobile robot and the controller, enabling synaesthesia integration. Furthermore, as the spectrum expands beyond 275 GHz, interesting use cases worth highlighting include the use of THz connections as wireless links to replace fiber for data centers, enabling reconfigurable routes and allowing the reduction of the size of server/router racks, and of course, significant cost reduction; and creating one or multiple point-to-point high-speed communication links within a device, enabling faster routing.
 
To summarize, the strong business cases IDTechEx sees for 6G are presently centered on business-to-business use cases. However, this is not to suggest that 6G will not be essential in consumer communication markets; rather, a compelling use case must be demonstrated in order to promote widespread adoption in consumer markets.
 
For more details on the technological challenges, research trends, applications, and market of 6G, please see the IDTechEx 6G market research report, "6G Market 2023-2043: Technology, Trends, Forecasts, Players". This report is built on IDTechEx's expertise, covering the latest 6G technology development trend, key applications, player activities, and market outlook, aiming to provide the reader a comprehensive understanding of 6G technology and market.

Features and Working of 6G Technology

5G deployment is still in its early stages, but 6G research and development is already underway. 6G is expected to be significantly faster, and have lower latency. The important features of 6G technology are as follows:

  • Terahertz (THz) frequencies: Engineers are attempting to transfer data over hundreds of gigahertz (GHz) or terahertz (THz) waves for 6G.
    • Radio waves with a wavelength of about 1 millimetre (frequency in THz) will be used in the 6G networks.
    • THz waves are much shorter than the waves used by 5G thus, they can carry more data.
  • Use of Artificial Intelligence: AI will be used to improve the performance of 6G networks by managing traffic and ensuring data delivery reliability.
  • Massive MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output): It is a data transmission and reception technology that employs a large number of antennas.
    • 6G networks can accommodate a large number of devices and connections.
    • G networks will be able to support an enormous number of devices, including billions of sensors and actuators.
  • Network slicing: 6G will enable the division of wider networks into smaller, dedicated networks.
    • This would make different types of traffic be prioritised and managed separately, such as video streaming or industrial automation.
  • Security: In order to protect sensitive data and applications, 6G networks will be highly secure by employing a variety of security measures such as encryption and authentication.
  • Ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC): It is a method of communication that ensures very low latency even in congested networks.
    • 5G URLLC could not fulfil all the Key Performance Indicators such as industrial automation, industrial automation, Virtual/Augmented Reality, intelligent transportation, Meta-Universe, etc.
    • 6G technology will lay the foundations for these emerging mission-critical applications for which the next generation URLLC (xURLLC) would be required to include it.
  • Integrated intelligent reflecting surfaces (IIRS): It is a new technology that can be used to reflect and amplify radio waves.
    • This can be used to improve the performance of 6G networks, particularly in areas where signal reception is poor.

Significance of 6G Technology

  • Sustainability: 6G will promote sustainability by supporting data collection and closed-loop control of numerous appliances by enabling faster and lower cost-per-bit connectivity.
  • Energy-efficient: 6G technology will be much more energy-efficient, turning off components and reducing capacity when demand is low.
  • Secure: 6G networks will be built to withstand threats such as jamming.

India and 6G Technology

India is preparing for the arrival of 6G wireless technology, with commercial deployment to be expected by 2030.

  • Patents for 6G: International organisations have granted India more than 127 patents for 6G technology.
    • This achievement has increased interest in India's technological breakthroughs, with countries such as the United States expressing a strong desire to receive India's cutting-edge 6G technology.
  • India-US Pact: India’s 6G ambitions got a further impetus after it signed a pact with the US to drive high-end research in the field at the 2023 G20 Summit.

Bharat 6G Vision

The Department of Telecommunications has established a Technology Innovation Group on 6G (TIG-6G) to create the Bharat 6G Vision, a strategy to develop 6G technology in India by 2030.

  • Objective of this vision: To create and deploy 6G network technologies that provide secure, intelligent, and pervasive connectivity, enabling people to live better lives.
  • The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN body that oversees the development of telecom standards and is in charge of managing spectrum and satellite orbit resources around the world, has accepted the 6G Vision Framework.
    • India, through the Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Communications, has played an important role in the Framework's development.
  • Significance: Several countries see India as a promising destination for investments in the 6G technology sector, owing to the country's large market size potential for a significant return on investment, and favourable government policies.

Pillars of 6G Vision

Bharat 6G Project

To roll out 6G communication services by 2030, the government has set up a Bharat 6G project to identify and fund research and deployment of the next-generation technology.

  • Phases of 6G Project: The 6G project is proposed to be implemented in two phases:
    • First Phase (2023 to 2025): In phase one, support will be provided to explorative ideas, risky pathways, and proof-of-concept tests.
    • Second Phase (2025 to 2030): Ideas and concepts that show promise and potential for acceptance by the global peer community will be adequately supported to create implementational IPs and testbeds leading to the commercialisation of the 6G project.
  • Objectives:
    • Facilitate and finance R&D, design, and development of 6G technologies by Indian startups/companies/research organisations/universities;
    • Allow India to become a global leader in IP, products, and solutions for affordable 6G telecom solutions.
    • Utilise 6G technology as a force multiplier for India by 2030.
    • Enable an inclusive and significant improvement in the quality of life for citizens in India and around the world.
  • Apex Council: Its function is to oversee the project and focus on issues such as standardisation and identification of the 6G spectrum and to oversee the entire ecosystem for the development of 6G technology in India.

Challenges Related to 6G in India

  • Complex Technology: The complexity, stemming from a multitude of components and subsystems, may introduce challenges during the developmental and implementation phases of 6G.
  • Infrastructure: 6G requires substantial investments in infrastructure. For example, THz waves are also more difficult to transmit and receive, so 6G networks will need to use new antenna designs and signal processing techniques.
  • Security Concerns: The ultra-fast speeds and massive data volumes transmitted through 6G networks could expose them to cyber threats.

Security challenges related to 6G technology

  • Low availability of bandwidth: 6G is expected to enable a 1 Tbps data rate in which a large continuous bandwidth is required but in reality, these bandwidths are limited and split over several bands.
  • Lack of fibre connectivity: With less than 30 per cent of the country's telecom towers now linked by fibre, the networks are ill-equipped to support 6G data speeds.

Applications of 6G Technology

The potential use cases and applications of 6G networks are numerous and varied to meet the changing needs of individuals, industries, and societies.

Applications of 6G Technology

  • Healthcare: 6G with IoT devices will enable hospitals to access patients on demand and in an emergency.
    • For example, ambulances would be fully AI-enabled and connected to the other medical infrastructure which would enable Hospital-to-Home (H2H) services.
  • Agriculture: It would help create an intelligent predictive system using IoT and AI/ML approaches to anticipate yield, irrigation schedule, pesticide schedule, and crop health information.
  • Transportation/Air Mobility: For Urban Air Mobility (UAM), 6G will be necessary. 
    • These electric vertical take-offs and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for passengers would be extremely useful in cities like Mumbai and Bangalore, where peak hour traffic is one of the most difficult challenges.
  • Education: 6G could be used to transform education by allowing students to interact with virtual teachers and classmates and access high-quality educational resources from anywhere in the world.
  • Internet of Things (IoT): The high capacity and low latency of 6G will make the Internet of Things (IoT) more effective.
    • This is because the Internet of Things involves a large number of devices collecting and sharing data in real-time.
  • Space exploration: 6G could be used to enable new space exploration applications, such as real-time control of space robots and vehicles, and high-resolution imaging of distant planets and stars.

Conclusion:

6G technology holds the potential to transform our world in ways we can only begin to imagine. By delivering unprecedented levels of speed, reliability, and capacity, 6G will pave the way for a new era of innovation and connectivity.





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