New 6G Networks Are in the Works. Can They Destroy Dead Zones for Good?
Next-generation 6G technology could “enable applications that we may not even imagine today”
High-speed Internet access has become crucial in a world where school, business, personal life and emergency communications increasingly take place through a handheld device. But surprisingly large swaths of the U.S. still lack a speedy-enough broadband or cellular connection. One potential solution could be a sixth-generation cellular network, which experts say will add a space-based system to ground-based coverage options. This 6G network could eventually connect the entire nation to high-speed data—but its development is still in the early stages.
Figure 1. New 6G Networks Are in the Works. Can They Destroy Dead Zones for Good?
New 6G Networks Are in the Works. Can They Destroy Dead Zones for Good? Is shown in Figure 1, Activities such as attending video meetings and streaming high-definition video can require download speeds of 25 megabits per second. But in 2019 those speeds were out of reach for 4.4 percent of Americans, according to the most recent Broadband Progress Report from the Federal Communications Commission. That lack of access to reliable Internet is roughly four to five times higher in rural communities (17 percent) and on tribal land (21 percent), respectively, contributing to a digital divide that disproportionately impacts already underserved communities.[1]
A 6G network is defined as a cellular network that operates in untapped radio frequencies and uses cognitive technologies like AI to enable high-speed, low-latency communication at a pace multiple times faster than fifth-generation networks. This article discusses the new generation of cellular data networks, 6G. It also explains the core functionalities of 6G and how it works.
A 6G network is defined as a cellular network that operates in untapped radio frequencies and uses cognitive technologies like AI to enable high-speed, low-latency communication at a pace multiple times faster than fifth-generation networks. 6G networks are currently under research and development, yet to be released.
6G is the sixth-generation mobile system standard currently being developed for wireless communications over cellular data networks in telecommunications. It is the successor, or the next bend in the road, after 5G and will likely be much faster.
Typically, subsequent generations (i.e., the next G) use much more sophisticated digital encoding that outdated computers cannot achieve. They depend on broader airwave bands that governments did not previously make accessible. Additionally, they have immensely complex antenna arrays that were previously impossible to construct. Today, we are in the fifth generation. The first standard for 5G New Radio (NR) was developed in 2017 and is presently being implemented globally.
According to a report titled “6G The Next Hyper-Connected Experience for All,” the ITU will start work in 2021 to create a 6G mission statement. The standard will likely finish by 2028 when the first 6G devices are available. Around 2030, deployment will be close to ubiquitous.[2]
This summer the federal government took steps to boost connectivity by expanding existing broadband infrastructure. In late June the Biden administration announced a $42.45 billion commitment to the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, a federal initiative to provide all U.S. residents with reliable high-speed Internet access. The project emphasizes broadband connectivity, but some researchers suggest a more powerful cellular connection could eventually sidestep the need for wired Internet.
The 6G network is so early in its development that it is still not even clear how fast that network will be. Each new generation of wireless technology is defined by the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as having a specific range of upload and download speeds. These standards have not yet been set for 6G—the ITU will likely do so late next year—but industry experts are expecting it to be anywhere from 10 to 1,000 times faster than current 5G networks. It will achieve this by using higher-frequency radio waves than its predecessors. This will provide a faster connection with fewer network delays.
Although 6G’s theoretical speeds sound exciting, the 5G network that preceded it also claimed to offer a blazing-fast connection. But people in many parts of the world still lack access to 5G infrastructure; even devices designed to take advantage of 5G must include the ability to fall back on 4G and 3G connections if and when those slower networks are the only available options. “The coverage of the 5G cellular network is only about 10 percent of the Earth’s surface right now,” says Jeffrey Andrews, director of 6G@UT, a research center at the University of Texas at Austin that works on underlying technologies to support 6G cellular networks in the near future.
That coverage area could dramatically change in the 6G era, Andrews says, because the new generation will be partially based in space, enabling it to cover much more of the planet than its ground-based predecessors. “I think utilizing space systems to provide global coverage will be a revolutionary aspect of the 6G era,” Andrews says.
Current 6G research-and-development efforts are focused on creating nonterrestrial networks made up of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites and uncrewed aerial vehicles. These networks are expected to operate at a fraction of the cost of 5G, which relies mainly on ground-based fiber-optic cables and cellular towers. According to Andrews, piggybacking off the LEO constellations that are already in the works will enable 6G to offer a cheaper connection than 5G, which requires time and money to install fiber all over the country, including in places with relatively few inhabitants.
Another way 6G will improve on previous generations is the way it uses artificial intelligence, says Harish Viswanathan, head of radio systems research at Nokia Bell Labs. “I think we will see a lot of applications of AI in 6G, much more than what we are aiming to do in 5G,” Viswanathan predicts. AI will help existing networks conserve energy by analyzing data usage in real time, as well as playing a crucial role in how fast data can be processed and uploaded. “Machine learning, in particular deep learning, which we call artificial intelligence, has made significant advances in other domains,” Viswanathan says. “Those tools are now relevant to us in wireless communications.” [1]
Reference:
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-6g-networks-are-in-the-works-can-they-destroy-dead-zones-for-good/
- https://www.spiceworks.com/tech/networking/articles/what-is-6g/
Cite this article:
Gokula Nandhini K (2023), New 6G Networks Are in the Works. Can They Destroy Dead Zones for Good?, AnaTtechmaz, pp.755