What is 6G and when will it launch?

5G is now quite widely available, so – while coverage is still improving – you might not be surprised to learn that 6G is already in development, and has been since 2020.

It’s arguable that the Covid pandemic focussed our reliance on digital connectivity and revealed how much more we can use it to make our lives easier. This, along with the continual emergence of smart devices, means the demand for bandwidth is relentless. 5G is already assisting in this, but the 6G network is predicted to enable even more speed (up to ten times the maximum 5G speed in fact), opening up as yet unimaginable potential for use in virtual reality, augmented reality and increased automation.

What is 6G?

As yet, 6G does not even exist – it is simply a concept. For the time being, 6G simply refers to what will be the next iteration of mobile wireless connectivity. 1G was the very first generation, enabling phone calls between mobiles, 2G enabled text messages as well, and 3G brought mobile internet into our lives for the first time. 4G the next step up, and then 5G delivered the highest mobile data speeds yet.

Exploration into the development of 6G is still in its relatively early days and we are likely years away from it rolling out. What we know for sure is that 6G will be many times faster than 5G and offer far more possibilities than we can even begin to imagine at this stage. As one commentator put it, 6G is about enabling the future before we even arrive there.

When will 6G be available?

According to most sources, the general consensus is that 6G won’t be rolled out until the early 2030s. On average, there is a ten-year gap between each generation of mobile network and as 5G only began rolling out in 2019, it would be safe to assume 6G won’t be arriving until at least 2029. Plus, networks are still very focused on 5G, both in terms of improving coverage and switching to 5G Standalone, so that will likely be their focus for a while yet.

6G speed

6G will be fast. Extremely fast. All mobile wireless technologies use various bands of the radio spectrum to transmit information, and the higher the frequency, the faster the speed. The existing 5G standard operates in three frequency bands in the UK, and all the UK mobile networks hold a chunk of spectrum within these bands. The reason for using several bands is that the lower frequency bands can carry less data over a greater distance, whereas the higher frequency bands can carry more data, but over a shorter distance. As a result, the networks use a mixture of frequencies to average out the signal.

The same will happen with 6G, but on far higher frequencies than 5G. This will enable much faster connection speeds of up to 100Gbps, ten times faster than the current maximum potential of 5G, which conservatively is 10Gbps. Some experts claim that 6G could even deliver speeds as fast as 1Tbps (1 Terabit per second – or 1000Gbps). When you consider that most home broadband connections can currently only reach a maximum of around 1Gbps, the speeds that 6G may offer are truly jaw-dropping.

All that said, in reality 5G isn’t currently approaching its theoretical maximum speeds, so we’d take these headline 6G speed estimates with a pinch of salt. On the other hand, if 6G can reach 100Gbps or 1Tbps, then the difference between 6G and real-world 5G will be even bigger than suggested above.

Potential benefits of 6G

At this stage, it is difficult to imagine what 6G’s mind-boggling speeds will enable us to do that we cannot do now, but in fact there are already some clear ideas as to why we will need 6G and how it will change our lives in the years ahead.

Immersive technology

Immersive technology encompasses both virtual reality (where the user is immersed in a completely different reality via a virtual reality headset), and augmented reality, whereby the user benefits from additional digital information overlaid on the world around them. Examples of this are already in use in gaming (think Pokemon Go), retail (“virtually” trying on sunglasses or trying out wall paint in your room via your device’s camera), and sport (graphics overlaid on football pitches).

The additional speed of 6G will enable even more use of augmented technology, in the form of holograms. Zoom meetings may become a thing of the past, with the potential for colleagues or families from around the world to meet virtually in hologram form. Businesses from architect firms to fashion houses will be able to trial 3D digital designs in holographic form before they are put into production. 

Cyber-physical fusion

It sounds alarmingly futuristic, but cyber-physical fusion edges closer to reality with 6G, as it will provide enough speed for the vast amount of data required to achieve it. Thought-controlled bionic limbs for those who are born without or have suffered amputation, as well as brain-computer interfaces which would allow patients who are totally paralysed (or “locked-in”) to communicate, could bring about life-transforming changes for thousands of people.

Smart wearables have become mainstream, with products such as the Apple Watch becoming a huge success, and 6G will also enable wearables to move forward, with the development of implants becoming a real possibility. From health monitors to gaming, 6G will enable implants to blur the lines between human and machine in ways we are yet to see materialise. 

Driverless vehicles

For the concept of driverless smart cars to truly move ahead, artificial intelligence is required to manage the coordination that will enable them to operate safely around each other, meaning no more traffic jams or accidents. For this to happen, all the vehicles need to be interconnected and “talk” to each other, and for that to happen, an extraordinary amount of data transfer is required at very high speed, which is where 6G will come into its own. 

Remote-controlled industry

As well as road vehicles, it will be possible to completely automate factories, meaning potentially dangerous environments for humans to work in will no longer pose a problem. Vehicles such as cranes, diggers and other heavy machinery will be able to be controlled remotely without the need for human involvement. Although of course, this may not be seen as a potential benefit by everyone.

What are the problems with building 6G?

The major problem with 6G is expected to be the fact that although faster, it will not be able to transmit over great distances. This has also been the case (to a degree) with the shift from 4G to 5G, but it is expected that for 6G, operating over very high frequencies, the distance the signal can reach will be very short indeed.

This move to higher signals will also mean 6G might struggle more to pass through obstacles like walls than 5G.

6G then will likely require considerably more hubs than 5G – potentially scattered all around our homes. As a result, it may be the case that there may be fewer masts and instead our phones will be used as transmitters rather than just receivers, allowing 6G to operate in a vast mesh system.

Will 6G be safe?

For many years now concerns have been raised over the safety of wireless communications, especially with the advent of 5G. From the early days of radio, wireless communications have safely used radio waves, and the part of the spectrum that is used for 4G, 5G and even for 6G mobile signals is far below the part that causes potentially damaging radiation. Whether there may be other, as yet unknown, health concerns, is yet to be seen.

Who is developing 6G?

Countries and businesses around the world are already in a race to build 6G, with vast sums of money being pumped into research and development. China and the USA are at the forefront of this competition, with their eyes trained firmly on the potential use of 6G for military purposes, including in early warning systems.

China

In China, technology giant Huawei has entered into partnership with the China Unicom network and also Malaysian aviation company Galaxy Aerospace. The plan is to develop 6G that will work across not just land, but also in the sea and even into space. 6G research is heavily promoted and subsidised by the Chinese government who are keen to win the race to create the international standard for 6G.

The United States

In the USA, the Next G Alliance has been founded as an initiative between huge players in the mobile technology marketplace, including AT&T, Bell Canada, Facebook, Qualcomm, Microsoft and Verizon, to name just a few. The US government is investing billions of dollars into the research and development of 6G, in the race against China to become the first to standardise the new technology. It is also working closely with Japan, with whom it is sharing the investment in R&D.

We’ve also seen US firm NVIDIA partner with MITRE, Cisco, T-Mobile, ODC, and Booz Allen Hamilton, to research and develop 6G networks that include AI-native hardware and software.

South Korea

Dr Younsun Kim from Samsung Research has been elected Chair of the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network (TSG RAN).

The 3GPP comprises a number of standards organisations that develop protocols for mobile telecommunications, so they’re at the forefront of standardising 6G.

This is a global initiative, but by electing someone from Samsung to the chair position in one of the key groups, it’s likely Samsung – a South Korean firm – will have a lot of influence over the development of 6G.

Finland

Elsewhere in the world, research is also underway, especially in Finland, renowned as a hub of technological excellence. Its 6G Flagship Initiative is aiming to become the leading light for 6G development in Europe. Working in close cooperation with Japan’s NTT Docomo and also India’s largest mobile network Jio, the 6G Flagship initiative is already making great strides in 6G research and development, heavily funded by Horizon Europe, the EU’s major funding programme for research and innovation.