Despite the fact that 5G wireless networks have only recently begun to take off, wireless communication companies have already begun to plan for the next mobile network.
6G is the answer.
Technically, 6G Network does not yet exist. However, theoretically, it could be a variety of things, building on current network and technology trends to create a completely new type of internet. So, let’s have a deep dive into the bizarre world of 6G Network and speculate on what the upcoming future may hold.
A Close Look at the 6 Technology Areas which will characterize 6G Network
- ML and AI- AI/ML techniques, particularly deep learning, have advanced rapidly over the last decade and are now being used in a variety of domains involving image classification & computer vision, ranging from security to social networks. With approaches in 5G-Advanced, ML/AI will be launched to several parts of the network in several layers and in many functions, unleashing the true potential of these technologies. From beam forming optimization in the radio layer up to scheduling in the cell site with self-optimizing networks, AI/ML is being used to achieve better performance at lower complexity. In 6G, AI/ML will progress from an enhancement to a foundation by removing complexity and allowing AI/ML to figure out how to communicate best between two endpoints
. - A network capable of sensing – The ability of 6G to sense the environment, people, and objects is its most notable feature. The network turns into a source of situational information, collecting signals bounced off objects and determining their type and shape, relative location, velocity, and possibly even material properties. In conjunction with other sensing modalities, such a mode of sensing can help create a digital twin or “mirror” of the physical world, extending our senses to each point the network touches. When this data is combined with AI/ML, it will provide novel insights from the physical world, thus making the network more cognitive.
- Spectrum bands – Spectrum is an important component in radio connectivity. Every new mobile generation necessitates some new pioneer spectrum to fully capitalize on the benefits of a new technology. It will also be necessary to refarm the existing mobile communication spectrum from legacy technology to the new generation. The new 6G pioneer spectrum blocks are expected to be in the mid-bands 7-20 GHz for urban outdoor cells allowing higher capacity via extreme MIMO, low bands 460-694 MHz for extreme coverage, & sub-THz for peak data rates above 100 Gbps. While 5G-Advanced will extend 5G beyond data communication and significantly improve positioning accuracy to centimeter-level, particularly for indoor & underground facilities where the satellite signals are inaccessible, 6G will take localization to the next level by utilizing wide spectrum & new spectral ranges all the way up to terahertz.
- Network architectures that are new – 5G is the first system designed to replace wired connectivity in the enterprise/industrial environment. As network demand and strain increase, industries will require even more advanced architectures capable of supporting increased flexibility and specialization. 5G will use a services-based architecture in core & cloud native deployments, which will be expanded to different parts of the RAN, & the network will be deployed in heterogeneous cloud environments that include a mix of public, private, and hybrid clouds. Furthermore, as the core turns more distributed & the higher layers of RAN become highly centralized, there will be opportunities to reduce costs through function convergence. New network and service orchestration solutions that leverage AI/ML advances will result in unprecedented network automation, lowering operating costs.
- Trust and Security – Networks of all types are becoming increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks. The dynamic nature of the threats necessitates the deployment of strong security mechanisms. 6G networks will be built to withstand threats such as jamming. When creating new mixed-reality worlds that combine digital representations of real and virtual objects, privacy concerns must be addressed.
- Great connectivity – The Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC) service, which debuted in 5G, will indeed be refined & improved in 6G to meet extreme connectivity needs, such as sub-millisecond latency. Simultaneous transmission, multiple wireless hops, device-to-device connections, and AI/ML could improve network reliability. Enhanced mobile broadband, combined with lower latency and increased reliability, will improve the experience of real-time video communications, holographic experiences, and even digital twin models updated in real-time via video sensor deployment. In the 6G era, we can anticipate use cases involving networks with specific requirements in sub-networks, resulting in networks of networks with networks as an endpoint. A car area network or a body area network, for example, can have hundreds of sensors spread across an area of less than 100 meters. For the machine system to operate, these sensors must communicate within 100 microseconds with extreme high reliability. Making networks within cars or on robots truly wireless will usher in a new era for device designers, as they will no longer be required to install lengthy and bulky cable systems.
Bottom Line 6G Network
In short, 6G will expand on 5G’s successes by improving human well-being and revealing new possibilities that we cannot yet define or imagine.
Source: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/6g-market-10951
