What is 6G? The next generation of wireless technology explained

"Sixth-generation wireless technology (6G) will not come anytime soon but industry leaders and researchers are intensifying efforts to hasten its development, experts said.

Artificial intelligence will be “at the heart” of 6G, Merouane Debbah, chief researcher for AI and telecom systems at Abu Dhabi's Technology Innovation Institute (TII), told The National at the inaugural Abu Dhabi 6G Summit on Thursday.

This will lead to new ways of communicating, including through holographic means and 3D coverage, he said..

“It is a long process. At the moment, we have people at research centres developing the technologies that will fulfil the key performance indicators [KPIs] of 6G,” Mr Debbah said.

“We want to build an infrastructure that connects intelligence.”

What is 6G?

This is the next generation of wireless communications, which promises even faster speeds and efficiency compared with 5G, the current iteration.

When will 6G be available?

If history is to be a reference, new generations of wireless technology emerge with every new decade — which means 6G would become available in the early 2030s. This is a widely shared industry expectation.

The US has historically introduced new wireless technology iterations, with the third generation released in 2002, the fourth in 2010 and 5G in 2018. The second and first generations were in the 1980s and early 1990s, respectively, with the so-called “zero G” existing before that.

What is the timeframe for 6G's release?

Research on 6G technology began in 2020, which marked the start of a long and intensive process, Mr Debbah said.

By 2024, the standardisation process would begin, which will be kicked off by trials to ensure the technology works “in the right configuration” — a process that is expected to continue until 2026..." Lire la suite