
The ‘6G’ concept is a little unfamiliar for most people. The construction of 5G base stations is in full swing, the number of users is increasing daily, and the related technology has transformed industry, manufacturing, and other industries. Why is there a rush to develop a new generation of mobile technology?
That’s because of the massive construction of 5G base stations worldwide. The goal of global coverage is still far away. According to calculations by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), roughly 3 billion people worldwide cannot access the Internet. The main reason behind this is that 5G ground base stations have high requirements for geographical environment, leading to nonland areas such as deserts, deep mountains, or distant seas becoming “blind spots” for communication signal construction for a long time.
Therefore, developing a new generation of mobile communication technology has become a global opportunity for countries to seize. Then, compared to 5G and 6G advantages, where?
What is 6G?
6G refers to the sixth generation of mobile communication technology. According to reports, the transmission rate, delay, and other levels are expected to improve significantly compared to 5 G and 6 G networks: the peak rate will reach 100Gbps, 10 times higher than 5G, and the delay will be reduced to 0.1 milliseconds, only one-tenth of 5G. In addition, the 6G user experience will also be significantly improved compared to 5G.
The Beautiful Vision of 6G
Unlike 5G, 6G’s goal and 6G’purpose is ‘integrated coverage of air, sky, earth, and sea.’ ‘As 6G one’s the spectrum of such a high-frequency application as terahertz, the future wide-area coverage can go into the air and cover down through satellites.’ Simply put, the communication signal will be changed in the past ‘from the ground launch’ mode, but by satellite and other ‘from the sky.’
This will completely solve the network coverage problem in remote areas such as mountains, oceans, grasslands, deserts, etc., and realize the global high-speed network ‘without dead angle.’
Based on 5G, 6G will further expand from serving people, people, and things to supporting the efficient interconnection of intelligent bodies and will realize the leap from the interconnection of everything to the intelligent interconnection of everything and become the link between the real physical world and the virtual digital world.
6G will continue to improve people’s quality of life, promote the transformation and upgrading of society’s mode of production, contribute to sustainable development, and ultimately help human society realize the vision of ‘everything is connected and digital twins.’
The General Development History of 6G
2019, the world’s first paper, ‘Key Driver’ and Research Challenges for 6G Wireless Intelligence Ubiquity,’ was released. The whitepaper states that most of the performance metrics of 6G will be improved by 10 to 100 times compared to 5G. In the 6G era, downloading 10 HD videos of the same genre in 1 second becomes possible.
On 5 December 2023, China’s 6G PromotiChina’sp released its first 6G core proposal, which is expected to be commercially available around 2030.
In February 2024, the United States, together with the United Kingdom, France, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Canada, and Australia, issued a joint statement on 6G research and development. They agree on common principles to accelerate the implementation of 6G in support of ‘security, resilience, and privacy protection.’ This shows that ‘any countries have agreed on 6G R&D and have begun working together to promote it.
At the Global 6G Technology Conference in April 2024, the three co-chairs of 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project), a global mobile communications standard-setting organization, shared the 3GPP 6G standards timeline: in September 2024, launch 6G business requirements research in June 2025, launch 6G technology pre-research; in the first half of 2027, launch 6G standard-setting; and in 2029, complete the 6G base version standard, i.e. Rel-21 version standard.
The 3GPP Project Coordination Group (PCG) formally approved the 6G LOGO at its 52nd meeting on 23 April 2024.
In May 2024, several Japanese telecommunications companies jointly announced the development of the world’s first high-speed 6G wireless device.
On 11 July 2024, the team of Zhang Ping, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a professor at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, successfully built the first international 6G outfield test network for the convergence of communications and intelligence. This achievement verifies the feasibility of 4G and 5G links with 6G transmission capability.
In 2025, 6G will be standardised in China. Around 2030, commercialization will be achieved.
6G Key Technology
The global industry is still exploring the critical technologies of 6G, and some potential key technology directions and new network technologies have been proposed.
6G key technologies can be broadly classified into three major technology areas: wireless communication, wireless networking, and network architecture. These areas cover several technological directions and constitute the core competitiveness of a 6G network.
Wireless Communication Technology
Ultra-large-scale MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output):
Ultra-large-scale MIMO technology significantly improves spectral efficiency and system capacity by increasing the number of antennas. In 6G systems, the number of antennas will be further increased to support higher data rates and more user connections. This technology enables better utilization of space resources and improves the stability and reliability of signal transmission.
Air Interface AI (Air Interface Artificial Intelligence):
Air Interface AI technology introduces artificial intelligence into wireless communications. It optimizes network configuration and resource allocation through intelligent algorithms to improve performance and user experience. The technology can analyze network status and user behavior in real-time, automatically adjust communication parameters, reduce delay and power consumption, and improve communication efficiency.
New wireless transmission technology:
Terahertz communication, visible light communication, and other new wireless transmission technologies can use higher frequency bands to achieve higher data transmission rates and lower latency. Terahertz communication uses the spectrum resources of the terahertz band to provide high-speed data transmission capability; visible light communication uses visible light as the transmission medium to achieve high-speed and safe data transmission.
Wireless Networking Technology
Heterogeneous fusion networking:
Heterogeneous converged networking technology is a network architecture for in-depth convergence of all frequency bands, which achieves seamless network coverage and efficient spectrum utilization by integrating the spectrum resources of low-frequency bands, middle-frequency bands, high-frequency bands, and even higher frequency bands such as terahertz, visible light, etc.
This technology can be used in different application scenarios to provide high-speed data transmission capability. It can flexibly configure network resources according to the needs of various application scenarios, improving the network’s overall performance and user experience.
Communication-aware integration:
Communication and sensing integration technology synergizes the two functions of communication and sensing to achieve accurate information delivery and intelligent sensing of the environment. The technology carries out data acquisition and high-speed real-time data analysis through wireless signals to form high-precision positioning, imaging, action recognition, and other capabilities, laying a solid foundation for the ‘intelligent connection of all things.’
For example, in telemedicine, doctors can provide more accurate surgical guidance through high-precision positioning and environment sensing technology; in autonomous driving, vehicles can obtain real-time information about the surrounding environment through sensing technology to achieve safe driving.
Network Architecture Technology
New network architecture:
6G networks will adopt new network architectures that are more flexible and scalable to support diverse application scenarios and efficient resource management. These network architectures may include network function virtualization (NFV), which enables flexible configuration and rapid deployment of network functions using software-based and virtualized means.
Endogenous security technologies:
Endogenous security technology integrates security mechanisms into all network architecture levels to improve the network’s security and reliability. Through intelligent systems and real-time monitoring, the technology can detect and respond to network attacks and security risks promptly, ensuring the safety of user data and privacy.
Cellular-free architecture:
Cellular-less architecture is an innovative network architecture model that achieves seamless coverage and balanced performance enhancement through distributed massive MIMO technology and multi-access point collaboration. The architecture splits the base station and performs joint signal processing through multiple devices to bring the signal source closer to the user, improving spectrum utilization and network capacity.
For example, in the intelligent factory of the future, the cellular-free architecture enables instant communication and efficient collaboration between devices, increasing productivity and reducing energy consumption.
Semantic Communication Technology
Semantic communication is an emerging technology that is different from traditional communication. It mainly focuses on the efficient and accurate transmission of signals or data but emphasizes the transmission and understanding of the ‘meaning’ or ‘semantic’ content of information. Semantic communication is task-oriented and adopts the new communication paradigm of ‘understanding first, transmitting later,’ aiming to enable the receiver to accurately understand the sender’s intention rather than just the received data.
Semantic communication technology analyses and processes communication content at the semantic level by introducing artificial intelligence technologies such as natural language processing and machine learning. On the sending side, the system first understands the semantic content of the sent message and then encodes it into a format suitable for transmission; on the receiving side, the system decodes the received signal and recovers the original semantic content. This process enables the system to automatically adapt to different communication environments and task requirements to achieve more flexible and efficient communication.
Application Prospects of 6G
6G networks will achieve higher transmission rates, lower latency, incredible connection density, and intelligent network management. It will drive communication technology into a new era. These characteristics make 6G networks a bridge connecting the physical and digital worlds. And accelerate the digital transformation of the economy and society.
Intelligent Transport and Automated Driving
Real-time communication and collaboration: The 6G network will enable real-time communication and cooperation between vehicles, improving traffic safety and efficiency. Self-driving cars can exchange milliseconds of information through 6G networks, quickly perceive the surrounding environment, and make accurate driving decisions.
Intelligent transport system: With the support of 6G, the intelligent transport system will become more efficient and safer. Through many connections and high-reliability characteristics of 6G networks, millions of sensors and devices can achieve real-time connectivity and communication, providing cities with comprehensive data support and management capabilities.
Telemedicine
High-definition video and real-time interaction: 6G technology will provide higher rates and lower latency, making high-definition video consultation in telemedicine and remote surgical guidance possible. Doctors can obtain high-definition image data of patients in real-time trials to make accurate diagnoses and treatment decisions, significantly improving the efficiency and quality of medical services.
Medical data sharing: The 6G network will support real-time transmission and sharing of medical data, promoting the optimal allocation of medical resources. Hospitals can share medical information such as medical records and images more conveniently, improving medical services’ synergy and overall effectiveness.
Intelligent health services system: 6G technology will support the interconnection of medical and wearable devices, enabling real-time monitoring and analysis of patient health data. Through the 6 G network, intelligent health management systems can detect and warn of health risks in time and provide personalized health management solutions.
Intelligent Manufacturing
Automation and intelligent manufacturing: 6G technology will enable a more automated and intelligent production process. Various factory equipment can connect and exchange data in real time through 6G networks to achieve automated control and optimization of production processes.
Industrial internet of things (IoT): 6G networks will support the connection and interaction of more devices, providing strong support for developing industrial IoT. Through the 6G network, industrial equipment can achieve more efficient data collection, transmission, and processing capabilities and enhance the intelligence of industrial production.
Smart City Construction
Efficient city management and services: 6G technology will promote intelligent and efficient city management. The large connection number and high-reliability characteristics of the 6G network will allow various sensors and devices in the city to realize real-time connection and communication, providing comprehensive data support and service capability for city management.
Intelligent security and emergency response: The 6G network will support the construction and development of smart security systems. Through real-time video surveillance, face recognition, and other technical means, cities can achieve more efficient and accurate security management. At the same time, when emergencies occur, 6G networks can quickly provide emergency communication and rescue support.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Immersive experience: 6G technology will revolutionize the application experience of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Thanks to 6G’s ultra-high-speed rate and low-latency characteristics, users can enjoy extra-high-definition virtual and augmented reality experiences without delay.
Interactive entertainment and online education: With the support of 6G networks, new development opportunities will be ushered in in interactive entertainment and online education. Through the 6 G network, users can enjoy more realistic and immersive gaming and learning experiences.
Conclusion
The mobile communications industry has experienced continuous innovation from 1G to 5G, with generations of communications scientists and companies. This has allowed mobile communications to benefit people around the globe and enabled more and more people to access the Internet and a faster, more stable Internet.
The global unified standard is the road to the future of 6G, I believe that soon 6G can open the door to a new world and bring a profound change in scientific and technological life.
Read more
Reference