6G is sixth-generation wireless. It’s designed to use higher frequencies, provide higher capacity, and support micro-second latency. It’s expected to facilitate huge improvements in imaging, location awareness, presence technology, and even use artificial intelligence to determine the best location for computing tasks.
Its frequency spectrum is 95 GHz to 3 THz, and network speeds run up to 1 Terabit per second. It will make extensive use of small cells and enhanced connectivity to include direct device-to-device connections, essentially bypassing the rest of the wireless network. This will increase speeds and drastically drop latency.
One breakthrough will be edge computing, which takes network management away from centralized cloud computing to localized devices. This, in turn, makes everything work much more quickly based on reduced response time. That reduced response time, also known as low latency, can make automated drone deliveries a reality and even remote surgery.
The exact standards for 6G wireless are still being determined. Yet several organizations and governments are working on early applications. China has put a 6G satellite into orbit. There’s a 6G flagship project in Finland. Japan has launched a significant initiative, and both Vodafone in Germany and Samsung in South Korea are working on the technology. Full deployment is expected by 2028.
