Scientists in Japan have transferred data at 100 gigabits per second in high-frequency wavelength bands over a distance of 330 feet for the first time.
(Image credit: fhm via Getty Images)
A consortium of companies in Japan has built the world’s first high-speed 6G wireless device, capable of transmitting data at blistering speeds of 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) at more than 300 feet (90 meters) — up to 20 times faster than 5G. These data transfer speeds are equivalent to transferring five HD movies wirelessly per second, and, according to Statista, up to 500 times faster than average 5G T-Mobile speeds in the U.S.
5G signals are commonly transmitted in bands under 6 GHz and extended into bands of around 40 GHz — known as the “millimeter-wave bands,” according to 6GWorld.
6G, on the other hand, is expected to use higher-frequency bands, known as “sub-THz” bands, which are between 100 GHz and 300 GHz, according to Nokia. Transmitting in this region taps into the advantage of faster speeds but has the disadvantage of greater interference with the environment, with signals more likely to become blocked — particularly indoors.
Where the jump from 4G to 5G paved the way for much greater volumes of media consumption, the jump from 5G to 6G could lead to new technologies like holographic communication and smoother virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality experiences.
Because 6G relies on much higher frequency bands, however, we would need completely new infrastructure to transmit and amplify signals, while smartphones or VR devices would require 6G antennae.
In previous tests, scientists have achieved faster 6G speeds — but over much shorter distances. A different team of scientists in Japan, for example, demonstrated world-record 6G speeds of up to 240 Gbps but only at 66 feet (20 m), publishing their findings Feb. 10 in the journal IEICE Electronics Express.
Discover the revolutionary Top 10 Technologies for 2025 that will shape our future. From AI to Quantum Computing, see what innovations await.
Introduction to Future Technologies
As we edge closer to 2025, the technology landscape continues to evolve at a breathtaking pace. Identifying the top ten technologies is not just about predicting trends; it’s about understanding the innovations that will significantly influence our social, economic, and personal lives. This article delves into these transformative technologies, offering a glimpse into a future shaped by groundbreaking advancements.
Artificial Intelligence: Transforming Daily Life
Artificial intelligence (AI) remains at the forefront of technological advancement, continuing to push the boundaries of what machines are capable of. Its applications are becoming increasingly integral to various sectors, including healthcare and finance.
AI in Healthcare: Predictions and Diagnostics
In healthcare, AI is revolutionizing the way medical professionals diagnose and treat diseases. Predictive analytics powered by AI can identify potential health issues before they become severe, improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.
AI in Finance: Automated and Personalized Services
The finance industry benefits from AI through automation and personalized financial advice. AI systems can analyze vast amounts of data to offer customized investment strategies and detect fraudulent activities with unprecedented accuracy.
Quantum Computing: The Game Changer
Quantum computing promises to redefine the limits of data processing, enabling solutions to problems that are currently intractable for traditional computers.
Basics of Quantum Computing
Quantum computers operate on quantum bits, or qubits, which can represent and store information in a fundamentally different way than traditional bits. This capability allows them to solve complex computations much faster.
Quantum Computing in Research and Development
The potential of quantum computing extends into various fields including cryptography, drug discovery, and complex system modeling. Its ability to quickly process and analyze large datasets can dramatically speed up research and development efforts across industries.
Blockchain Beyond Cryptocurrencies
While blockchain is widely recognized for its role in cryptocurrencies, its applications extend much further, promising to offer unprecedented security and transparency in various transactions.
Enhancing Supply Chain Transparency
Blockchain can greatly improve the transparency and efficiency of supply chains, allowing companies and consumers to track the authenticity and condition of products from manufacture to delivery.
Securing Personal Data with Blockchain
In an era where personal data breaches are a major concern, blockchain offers a robust solution for securing personal information with its decentralized and tamper-proof ledger.
The Rise of Autonomous Vehicles
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are set to transform urban mobility by reducing traffic congestion and improving road safety.
Advances in Self-Driving Technology
Continued advancements in sensor technology and machine learning algorithms are making autonomous vehicles more reliable and safer than ever before.
Impact on Urban Planning and Daily Commute
The integration of AVs into daily transportation is expected to have profound effects on urban planning and daily commutes, reducing the need for large parking spaces and changing the way cities are designed.
Renewable Energy Technologies
The shift towards renewable energy sources is critical in addressing the urgent challenges of climate change and environmental sustainability.
Innovations in Solar Power Generation
Technological advancements in solar energy include the development of more efficient photovoltaic cells that could transform rooftops into power generation units without the need for large-scale solar farms.
Wind Energy: Harnessing More with Less
Innovations in wind energy technology are making it possible to generate more power from smaller turbines, significantly reducing the cost and environmental impact of wind power production.
Breakthroughs in Biotechnology
Biotechnology is poised to provide powerful solutions to some of the most pressing health and environmental challenges.
CRISPR and Genetic Editing: Ethical Considerations
CRISPR and other genetic editing tools offer the potential to alter the genetic makeup of organisms, raising important ethical questions regarding their use.
Personalized Medicine: Tailored Healthcare Solutions
Personalized medicine, enabled by biotechnology, is tailoring treatments to individual genetic profiles, enhancing the effectiveness of healthcare interventions.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
AR and VR are reshaping the entertainment and education sectors, offering immersive experiences that were once the stuff of science fiction.
AR in Education: Interactive Learning Environments
Augmented reality brings a new dimension to education, making learning more interactive and engaging through virtual simulations and experiments.
VR in Entertainment: Next-Gen Experiences
In the entertainment industry, VR is creating highly immersive gaming and cinematic experiences, offering a new form of storytelling that draws viewers directly into the action.
5G and Beyond: Telecommunications Revolution
The deployment of 5G networks is set to revolutionize telecommunications, with implications for everything from mobile internet services to smart city developments.
The Impact of 5G on Internet Services
5G promises significantly faster data speeds, reduced latency, and higher capacity, enabling a new generation of internet services, including real-time data-driven applications and enhanced streaming capabilities.
Future Prospects: 6G and Beyond
While 5G is still being deployed, researchers are already looking towards 6G, which could include features like higher frequencies, improved reliability, and even more revolutionary technologies.
Smart Cities: Urban Areas Reimagined
Smart city technologies aim to make urban living more efficient and sustainable through the use of IoT and other innovations.
Infrastructure Developments for Smart Cities
Smart cities integrate various technologies to manage urban flows and allow for real-time responses to challenges such as traffic congestion and energy distribution.
Smart Technologies for Sustainable Urban Living
Technologies like smart grids and smart water management systems are making cities more sustainable by ensuring resources are used more efficiently and reducing waste.
Space Exploration Technologies
As we continue to explore space, new technologies are enabling longer missions and the possibility of sustained life in outer space.
Mars Missions: Preparation for Human Settlement
Technologies developed for Mars missions, such as life support systems and sustainable habitats, are paving the way for the first human settlers on the Red Planet.
Satellite Technologies: Improving Global Connectivity
Advances in satellite technology are improving global connectivity, making internet access more widely available and reliable even in remote areas.
Conclusion: What to Expect in the Near Future
As we look towards 2025, these technologies are not just theoretical concepts but are rapidly becoming a part of our everyday lives. They promise to solve some of our most enduring challenges and to open up new opportunities in every sector of society.
It’s been years in the making, but 5G — the next big chapter in wireless technology — is finally approaching the mainstream. While we haven’t yet reached the point where it’s available everywhere, nearly all of the best smartphones are 5G-capable these days, and you’re far more likely to see a 5G icon lit up on your phone than not.
There’s more to 5G than just a fancy new number, though. The technology has been considerably more complicated for carriers to roll out since it covers a much wider range of frequencies than older 4G/LTE technology, with different trade-offs for each. It’s also a much farther-reaching wireless technology, promising the kind of global connectivity that was once merely a dream found in futuristic sci-fi novels.
SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Image
All of this hype around 5G may leave you wondering exactly what to make of it, but the good news is that it’s not as complicated for consumers as you may think. It ultimately comes down to knowing what 5G service is like where you live and work, deciding on the best 5G phone, and picking the best 5G cell phone plan.
Still, with the powerful new capabilities offered by 5G networks, a deeper understanding of how it works can help you make the right decisions. Here’s everything you need to know about 5G.
What is 5G?
Mavenir
Simply put, 5G is the fifth generation of mobile networking that is slowly replacing 4G/LTE networks. And 5G offers the potential for dramatically faster download and upload speeds than 4G networks, plus considerably lower latency — the time it takes devices to communicate with wireless networks.
Also, 5G networks are inherently more efficient, handling more connections per tower and at faster speeds per device. It is also designed to work across a wider range of radio frequencies (aka spectrum), opening up new possibilities in the midrange and extremely high frequency (EHF) mmWave (millimeter-wave) bands for carriers to expand their network offerings. Because 5G is an entirely new technology that operates on new frequencies and systems, 4G-only phones are incompatible with the new 5G networks.
The first 5G networks commenced deployment in 2019, but the groundwork for the next-generation network was laid years earlier. The 5G standard architecture was created in 2016, at which point every company and person involved from both the network and consumer sides could start making devices that were compliant with the new 5G standard.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends
At this point, 5G hasn’t hit total market saturation quite yet — but it’s getting close. It takes a considerable amount of investment to build an entirely new network. For example, 4G/LTE took about three years to reach mainstream status following its initial 2010 deployment in the U.S. However, 4G/LTE didn’t have to suffer through the same growing pains as the newer 5G technology since it was easier to deploy by comparison. All major U.S. carriers used the same basic 4G/LTE technology.
With 5G, carriers have had to take unique approaches in working around existing 4G/LTE deployments while also working to acquire licenses for the higher frequencies that are necessary to deliver on the biggest promise of 5G: ultrafast gigabit speeds. That’s taken more time, and there have been a few roadblocks along the way.
It will likely still be a year or two before 5G becomes the dominant network worldwide, but we’re definitely getting closer, particularly in the U.S. T-Mobile already boasts that its fastest 5G coverage is available to 260 million people, and it expects that to grow to over 300 million — or 90% of the U.S. population — by the end of 2023. While T-Mobile had a big head start over its rivals, the other companies are catching up quickly: earlier this month, Verizon announced it had surpassed the 200 million mark.
Those numbers also only refer to the carriers’ enhanced 5G networks. Depending on the carrier, standard low-band 5G already reaches 85% to 95% of the U.S. population. While these lower-band frequencies don’t deliver the same impressive speeds, they offer other benefits — and the ability to replace 4G/LTE.
How does 5G network technology work?
O-RAN Alliance
Like 4G, 5G technology operates on a wide range of radio spectrum allotments, but is capable of running on a wider range than current networks. With 5G, there are three distinct frequency ranges that work in different ways. The most common form of 5G has traditionally been referred to as Sub-6, but that’s more recently been divided into two subcategories. Beyond that is mmWave, which operates on significantly higher frequencies — with some important tradeoffs.
Sub-6 (Low-Band): Short for Sub-6GHz, the term Sub-6 technically includes all 5G frequencies that operate below that 6GHz threshold. However, in the early days of 5G, that was almost entirely made up of low-band frequencies below 2GHz — the same spectrum that had been used for years by 2G, 3G, and 4G/LTE networks. Most carriers began their 5G deployments using these frequencies as it was the easiest and most affordable way to start; 5G hardware could share the same towers and airwaves used by 4G/LTE service, and since low-band frequencies travel much farther and more effortlessly penetrate walls, trees, and other obstacles, carriers also didn’t have to put up a huge number of new towers to blanket areas with 5G coverage. However, there was a downside to using this low-band spectrum: 5G performance wasn’t significantly faster than the 4G/LTE services that came before. In fact, it could actually be slower in some cases, as 5G traffic had to yield the digital right-of-way to older 4G/LTE signals using the same frequencies.
mmWave: At the other end of the 5G spectrum is millimeter wave, a swath of EHF spectrum where 5G currently operates at frequencies between 24GHz and 39GHz, although it’s likely to expand even higher in the future. As the name suggests, these frequencies have a very short wavelength, which means they don’t travel very far at all — a couple of city blocks at best. The upside is that 5G can deliver staggering performance over mmWave — easily reaching 4Gbps download speeds under ideal conditions. More significantly, this higher capacity also allows for better coverage in densely packed areas like stadiums, concert venues, and airports. However, to blanket an area with this incredibly fast coverage requires thousands of small network cells — covering 95% of New York City would require nearly 60,000 individual mmWave towers. This is why Verizon’s early 5G coverage, which relied solely on mmWave, was available only in the downtown cores of a few major cities.
Sub-6 (midband/C-band): To deliver on the promise of 5G, carriers and regulators needed to find a happy medium between the ultrafast but extremely short-range mmWave and the lower-band frequencies that offered expansive range but no meaningful improvement in speed over the 4G/LTE networks that 5G is supposed to replace. The answer was found in a (mostly) new range of midband frequencies, ranging from T-Mobile’s 2.5GHz network to the 3.7GHz to 3.98GHz C-band spectrum licensed by Verizon and AT&T. This spectrum has become the sweet spot for 5G, offering substantially better range than mmWave while delivering near-gigabit performance levels that leave 4G/LTE networks in the dust.
Today, the major U.S. carriers have deployed 5G in all three of these spectrums, although they’ve taken slightly different approaches. Verizon began with mmWave in a handful of cities before launching its nationwide low-band 5G network in late 2020 and then rolling out its C-band frequencies in early 2022. T-Mobile started with a very low-band 600MHz network that allowed it to be first to offer nationwide 5G in all 50 U.S. states, and then used the 2.5GHz midband spectrum it acquired from its 2020 merger with Sprint to get a head start on building out its faster 5G network. It deployed faster mmWave only in places like stadiums, where the higher capacity was absolutely necessary. AT&T has trailed slightly behind both its rivals; it has a large low-band 5G network, and like T-Mobile, it uses mmWave transceivers to cover denser areas, but its C-band deployments have only reached about a dozen cities so far. How fast is 5G?
Peak data rate: 5G offers significantly faster data speeds. Peak data rates can hit 20Gbps downlink and 10Gbps uplink per mobile base station. That’s not the speed you’d experience with 5G (unless you have a dedicated connection) — it’s the speed shared by all users on the cell. Even then, it’s a theoretical maximum that represents the upper limits of the 5G standard.
Real-world 5G speed: While the peak data rates sound impressive, actual speeds will be considerably lower, and vary widely based on many factors, including what spectrum your signal is traveling on and how far away you are from the nearest tower. Typical 5G speeds can range from 50Mbps to more than 3Gbps for downloads. Recent reports have pegged median nationwide download speeds between 100Mbps and 200Mbps.
Latency: Latency refers to the time it takes to establish a network connection before you can begin transmitting data. This has a big impact on activities like surfing and gaming, where smaller amounts of data are regularly sent back and forth. Under ideal circumstances, latency should be under 4 milliseconds (ms), but lower is always better. The best wired fiber-optic networks can offer a latency of 1ms to 2ms.
Efficiency: Radio interfaces should be energy efficient when in use and drop down to low-energy mode when not in use. Ideally, a radio should be able to switch into a low-energy state within 10 milliseconds when not in use.
Spectral efficiency:Spectral efficiency is “the optimized use of spectrum or bandwidth so that the maximum amount of data can be transmitted with the fewest transmission errors.” For example, 5G should improve spectral efficiency over LTE at 30 bits/Hz downlink and 15 bits/Hz uplink.
Mobility: With 5G, base stations should support movement from 0 to 310 mph. This means the base station should function despite antenna movements. Low-band and midband 5G frequencies are much better at handling this than those in the mmWave spectrum. However, that’s not likely to be a practical concern, as you’re more likely to leave mmWave coverage once you start moving at faster speeds.
Connection density: 5G can support many more connected devices than 4G/LTE. The standard states that 5G should be able to support 1 million connected devices per square kilometer. That huge number takes into account the slew of connected devices that will power the Internet of Things (IoT). What kind of performance you’ll get with that many devices connected is another matter, but that’s where mmWave provides a significant advantage.
In the real world, actual 5G speeds vary widely. Eventually, midband networks will be able to deliver speeds of multiple gigabits per second (Gbps) through technologies such as Carrier Aggregation, but for now, you can expect to see speeds of around 200Mbps to 400Mbps if you’re on a midband/C-band network and under 100Mbps on low-band 5G services. Those numbers may go higher under ideal conditions — we’ve measured gigabit speeds on C-band frequencies, but that’s far from typical. Normally, you’ll need to be relatively alone near a mmWave transceiver to get those kinds of speeds. Remember that you’re also sharing whatever bandwidth is available with everyone else using that same tower, so your performance will drop during peak times of the day in a busy area.
If you’re on low-band 5G, you’ll likely find that your connection is no faster than 4G/LTE. In some cases, it may even be slower. This is largely due to 4G/LTE traffic still using those frequencies. Early low-band 5G deployments were “piggybacked” onto 4G/LTE towers using a technology known as Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS). This allows 5G and 4G/LTE traffic to coexist on the same airwaves, but since DSS is a 5G feature, it’s the 5G traffic that has to make room for the 4G/LTE signals. The good news is that low-band 5G performance will improve as more folks move to 5G smartphones, and there’s less 4G/LTE traffic to contend with.5G UW vs. 5G UC vs. 5GE
T-Mobile 5G at the Leaning Tower of Pisa in ItalyAdam Doud/Digital Trends
Since midband 5G offers much better performance than the lower-band 5G frequencies, each carrier has worked hard to promote these enhanced 5G services with unique brand names and special status bar icons on your phone. This lets customers know when they’re using the best 5G, while also setting them apart from their rivals.
AT&T was actually the first to introduce a special 5G brand, but unfortunately, that initial attempt just muddied the waters as it didn’t even represent a real 5G network. AT&T’s so-called 5G Evolution (5GE) network was little more than a marketing stunt; the carrier rebranded its newly upgraded 4G/LTE Advanced network, claiming it was the first step in the “evolution toward 5G.” In reality, it was the same 4G/LTE network technology that Verizon and T-Mobile already offered, falsely labeled to make people think that AT&T had beaten the others to the punch at rolling out 5G.
AT&T
After getting rightfully pilloried for that silly move, AT&T got a bit more conservative with its 5G plans. However, it was still the first to introduce a unique name in early 2020 to distinguish its mmWave service from its broader low-band network. AT&T called this “5G Plus” (5G+), and it was initially available in the downtown cores of about 35 cities. In early 2022, AT&T added its new C-band spectrum to the 5G+ network, increasing coverage in about a dozen U.S. cities over the course of that year.
Verizon followed in late 2020 with 5G Ultra Wideband (5G UW). Unlike AT&T, this was a rebranding of what had been its entire 5G network up to that point since Verizon began 5G solely with mmWave. The 5G UW name became necessary safter Verizon’s CEO took the opportunity to get on stage at Apple’s iPhone 12 launch event and announce the carrier’s new 5G Nationwide service — a low-band 5G network that would bring 5G to the rest of the country. As with AT&T, Verizon expanded its 5G Ultra Wideband service to encompass the new C-band frequencies in early 2022, increasing 5G UW coverage to more than 100 million customers practically overnight.
So, when should you expect to have 5G available in your neighborhood? If you live in a relatively populated area, at least one — and probably all — of the major carriers already offer 5G. T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have all long since rolled out their “nationwide” networks using low-band 5G. Today these networks collectively cover over 90% of the U.S. population.
All three major U.S. carriers are continuing to build out their midband 5G networks, and while Verizon and T-Mobile now cover a majority of the U.S. population, it’s likely to take several years before we reach ubiquitous 5G coverage. Each 5G carrier also has a slightly different 5G rollout strategy, so your experience will vary greatly depending on your carrier. Here are all the details we currently have concerning each carrier’s deployment plans.
Verizon
Verizon’s 5G nationwide low-band network is technically smaller than AT&T and T-Mobile’s, as it launched much later. Verizon spent years building out mmWave before it started work on its low-band 5G Nationwide deployment, which only arrived in late 2020. Since it began with mmWave, Verizon offers a much greater number of smaller mmWave cells, covering the downtown cores of over 80 cities. That’s still not enough to provide a meaningful, reliable, and widespread mmWave network, but Verizon has expanded that significantly over the last year with its new C-band coverage. As of March 2023, Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network reaches 200 million people. As the carrier continues to expand to more rural areas, its smaller low-band network will become considerably less relevant.
AT&T has a widespread low-band 5G network, with nationwide coverage of around 285 million people. However, the type of 5G connectivity that you get depends on where you live. Like Verizon, it relied heavily on mmWave in the early days, but it also saw the writing on the wall and transitioned to a low-band 5G rollout much sooner. This means less mmWave coverage than Verizon — the core areas of about 39 cities — but a much more expansive low-band network. AT&T’s 5G+ service began with this handful of mmWave cells, rolling in the C-band spectrum in early 2022. Nevertheless, AT&T is still playing catch-up with its rivals, and so far, it’s only deployed full C-band coverage to about a dozen cities, bringing the total number of cities where 5G+ is offered to around 50.
T-Mobile 5G has been leaving its rivals in the dust with robust nationwide coverage and a midband 5G network that covers over 75% of the U.S. population. This has allowed T-Mobile to boast the fastest median download speeds by a huge margin since far more of its customers are able to access its 5G Ultra Capacity network. T-Mobile was also the first carrier to deploy a nationwide 5G network to all 50 states, although that initial network — now known as 5G Extended Range (5G XR)— relies on the lowest of the low-band frequencies, so it’s not particularly fast. However, with 5G Ultra Capacity already covering 260 million people, and T-Mobile promising to extend that to 300 million by the end of 2023, most customers will rarely encounter the carrier’s low-band 5G XR network.
It’s tough to find a phone nowadays that doesn’t have 5G, thanks to the carriers’ aggressive network rollouts and development of more affordable mobile chipsets that include 5G radios. So when you’re looking for the best 5G phone, you’re really just asking for the best phone overall.
Right now, that means the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23 Ultra, the Google Pixel 7, and less expensive phones from OnePlus and Motorola. Each of these phones has 5G — though in some cases, on the cheaper end, you may only get Sub-6 and not mmWave. However, that’s nothing to worry about; as we’ve already mentioned, mmWave is more of a “nice to have” than a requirement, and you’re unlikely to even encounter a mmWave signal most of the time, much less need one.
Can you use 5G for home internet?
T-Mobile
With incredible speeds and low latency, 5G has good potential as a replacement for home wireless networks. That’s particularly true in rural areas, where fast wired internet is tough to come by and the only other alternative is satellite internet. While the capability is certainly there, 5G home internet is taking a while to roll out in real numbers.
We’re still a few years away from the promise of 5G to bring direct connectivity to every device in our homes, so today’s 5G home internet solutions, also known as Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), merely replace your wired broadband router with a 5G device; Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet connections are still used to link everything up within your home.
Verizon 5G home internet
Verizon offers 5G home internet starting at $25 per month, and the recent addition of C-band spectrum to its 5G Ultra Wideband service means it’s now available in 1,700 cities. Sadly, this still limits access to the service in rural areas where it could be more helpful. Speeds will vary depending on where you live; Verizon has a lookup tool you can use to get an estimate, but don’t expect these to rival broadband services unless you live in an area with mmWave coverage.
AT&T 5G home internet
AT&T doesn’t yet offer 5G home internet to consumers, although its 4G-based fixed wireless access plans are still available for rural areas. This will likely get upgraded to 5G eventually, but there’s not much point in doing so right now as AT&T’s low-band 5G network doesn’t offer any performance improvements, and its 5G Plus (5G+) network doesn’t reach enough places yet.
T-Mobile 5G home internet
T-Mobile launched in-home 5G internet service in 2021 to augment its nationwide service. For as little as $30 per month (if you’re already a T-Mobile Magenta Max subscriber), you can get unlimited internet with speeds that range from 33Mbps to 182 Mbps, depending on where you’re located. Unlike its competitors, though, T-Mobile’s 5G home internet is available on both its 5G Ultra Capacity and 5G Extended Range networks, making it a great choice for customers in rural areas. It’s also the most popular 5G home internet service; since its introduction, T-Mobile is now celebrating 1 million home internet customers.
Potential benefits of 5G
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
There are many reasons to be excited about 5G beyond mobile communication. While the extra bandwidth and lower latency mean faster performance for downloading, streaming, and gaming, the most promising part of 5G is its ability to deliver wireless connectivity to a much wider range of devices and applications. We’re already seeing private 5G networks that are replacing or supplementing traditional Wi-Fi on university campuses, at resorts, and even in retail operations. The lower latency, higher capacity, and greater range offered by 5G make it ideal for offering expansive “always-on” connectivity in areas where Wi-Fi won’t cut it.
Improved home broadband
While 5G is commonly perceived as mobile technology, it’s also poised to have a significant impact on home broadband and wireless connectivity. As mentioned in the preceding section, carriers are now offering home internet services that rely on 5G connections instead of cable or fiber. While it doesn’t yet provide the speed of fiber or cable, it’s more than adequate for everyday surfing, streaming, and browsing, and better than the wired options available in many rural areas.
More significantly, 5G connectivity could someday replace your home router entirely, with all of the devices in your home connecting directly to the 5G network. There are security and performance issues that will need to be worked out before this happens, but work on it is already underway.
Autonomous vehicles
The low latency of 5G makes it ideal for autonomous vehicles, allowing real-time communications with other vehicles on the road, up-to-the-second information about road conditions, and performance feedback to drivers and automakers. For instance, your vehicle can be informed immediately if another car brakes quickly ahead of you and preemptively apply your brakes as well, preventing a collision. This kind of vehicle-to-vehicle communication could ultimately save lives and improve road efficiency.
Public safety and infrastructure
Eventually, 5G will become the backbone of the smart cities of the future, allowing municipalities to operate more efficiently. Utility companies will be able to easily track usage remotely, sensors can notify public works departments when drains flood or streetlights go out, and municipalities will be able to quickly and inexpensively install surveillance cameras.
Remote device control
Since 5G has remarkably low latency, remote control of heavy machinery will become a reality. While the primary aim is to reduce risks in hazardous environments, it will also allow technicians with specialized skills to control machinery from anywhere in the world.
Health care
The ultrareliable and low-latency communications (URLLC) component of 5G could fundamentally change health care. Since URLLC reduces 5G latency even more than 4G, a world of new possibilities opens up. Expect to see improvements in telemedicine, remote recovery, physical therapy via augmented reality, precision surgery, and even remote surgery in the coming years. Hospitals can create massive sensor networks to monitor patients, physicians can prescribe smart pills to track compliance, and insurers can even monitor subscribers to determine appropriate treatments and processes.
IoT
One of the most exciting and crucial aspects of 5G is its effect on the Internet of Things. While we currently have sensors that can communicate with each other, they tend to require a lot of resources and are quickly depleting 4G data capacity. With 5G speeds and dramatically higher capacity limits, the IoT will be powered by communications among sensors and smart devices. What do 5G towers look like?
You might be wondering where the 5G towers in your town are located. For the most part, 5G towers look just like 4G towers — largely because they are 4G towers. The nationwide coverage that T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T all offer now is built on slightly tweaked 4G towers, so if you see a traditional cell tower and have 5G coverage in your area, chances are that same tower also supports your area’s 5G network. The fact that they were able to reuse these 4G cell towers is partly how all three carriers were able to roll out nationwide 5G networks on such a short timeline.
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
As carriers start to roll out midband and high-band (mmWave) spectrum, however, this may change. As mentioned, mmWave frequencies can’t travel as far as the Sub-6 frequencies that nationwide networks rely on, and as such, to get mmWave coverage in a city, there must be hundreds, or even thousands, of small cells around the city. These are small white nodes that hang on the side of a building or sometimes on their own little pole. Sometimes they’ll be painted a different color to blend in with their environment, but usually, they’ll remain white.
More of these small cell towers and nodes are likely to pop up in cities in the near future, although they’ll likely be limited to heavily populated areas. However, most areas are likely to rely on midband transceivers; these may require new towers for better coverage, but they won’t look that different from the cellular towers you’ve seen before. Rural areas are likely to continue using existing 4G towers with upgraded low-band 5G equipment installed on them.
Is 5G safe?
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
Yes, 5G is safe — 5G is not dangerous to your health. Concerns about the safety of radio waves have been around for years, but we have yet to find any evidence suggesting that they’re actually bad for human health despite the 5G conspiracy theories.
There are two kinds of radio waves: Ionizing, and non-ionizing. Ionizing waves — the types of radio waves that are used in radiotherapy and X-ray machines — can definitely be dangerous for human health. However, these waves are typically measured in terahertz (THz) and petahertz (PHz), where the infrared and ultraviolet ranges begin. That’s an order of magnitude beyond even the top of the extremely high frequency 39GHz range used by mmWave 5G.
The radio waves used by 5G are not substantially different from those we’ve already been living with for decades, and almost all of them run on the same frequencies that have been long used for 2G, 3G, 4G, and even TV broadcasts, weather radar, and aircraft communications. Even higher-frequency mmWave signals share spectrum that’s long been used for microwave towers, satellite communications, airport security scanners, and weather and military radar systems — and mmWave operates at substantially lower power levels than any of these other devices.
With private networks connecting to many IoT devices, testing the device’s user interface requires updating test processes.
Many IoT use cases rely on private 5G networks because they offer greater network control, better security, more reliable performance, and dedicated coverage and capacity as opposed to using a public network. With these advantages, private networks play an important role in specialized use cases for vertical markets.
Based on current GSA data (Figure 1), manufacturing is the top industry vertical for private 5G, followed by mining and education. Other industries are expected to grow as long as one key hurdle — UE operation — can be overcome.
Device performance in private 5G is a challenge because, while operator and private 5G networks have similar building blocks, UE is very device-centric based on use case. Additionally, 5G introduces control user plane separation (CUSP), which enables vendors to combine RAN and core network hardware components with software from other sources. With so many varieties in vendors, testing only against 3GPP specifications compliance is not enough.
You should properly test IoT devices against different configurations and combinations and ensure the key performance indicators (KPIs) are properly measured. For engineers, understanding all elements of how users can use the UE, as well as the environments in which they are being deployed, are necessary to ensure devices meet performance parameters.
3GPP Release 16 opens doors 3GPP Release 16 paves the way to private 5G networks. It lets 5G become a substitute for private wired Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and LTE networks by including multiple capabilities for industrial environments.
3GPP also provides standards and guidance on private 5G network deployment. Network architecture and deployment environment affect how you need to test an IoT device’s UE.
The most “private” architecture is a non-public network (NPN), which is an enterprise with a dedicated, on-premises network. 3GPP categorizes NPNs in two ways:
Stand-alone non-public network (SNPN): this design does not rely on network functions from a public land mobile network (PLMN). An SNPN-enabled UE must be configured with a subscriber identifier (SUPI) and credentials for each subscribed SNPN identified by the combination of PLMN ID and NID (Network identifier).In addition, 3GPP Release 16 specifies the ability for a UE to obtain PLMN services while on a stand-alone non-public RAN. This is related to when the UE has a subscription and credentials to obtain services from both PLMN and SNPN.
Public network integrated NPN (PNI-NPN): in this model, a PLMN ID recognizes the network, while a closed-access group (CAG) ID locates appropriate cells. A CAG cell broadcasts the designated CAG identifiers per PLMN, which must be supported by UE operating on the network. Only devices that have access credentials for that specific CAG ID can latch on to such cells, thus providing access restriction.
Hybrid private 5G networks use a mix of public mobile network components and dedicated on-premises elements. UE for hybrid networks has its own set of performance parameters, depending on network configuration. Three hybrid designs exist:
Radio access is shared with the public network; everything else is private.
The user plane is private, but the control plane and radio access are shared.
Network slice option; one virtual slice is dedicated to the private network while all other elements reside on a public network.
Because private 5G networks use unlicensed and shared spectrum, device integration can become complex. Systems integrators, who have become key players in private 5G, must verify that UE operates according to specification, elements are integrated properly to guarantee end-to-end quality of service (QoS), and connectivity between UE and network is reliable.
Ensuring UE performance in private 5G
QoS and connectivity take on an added layer of complexity in many private 5G use cases. For example, in a smart factory, there can be robots with hundreds of sensors and machinery with multiple actuators operating in an environment with considerable interference sources. Such a setting has created the need for stress testing to determine how the UE will operate under such extreme conditions.
Given the proprietary nature of many private 5G networks, the prevalence of Open RAN architecture, and data sensitivities, security is a main priority. Many UE manufacturers employ practical security testing, which uses a network simulator to conduct necessary tests, such as functional security measurements. They thoroughly test all security-related functions inside UE or other systems under test to ensure correct behavior and operational robustness (Figure 2).
Figure 2. A typical test configuration for cybersecurity covers functionality, vulnerability, fuzzing, and penetration.
Stress tests and security are primary considerations but hardly the only issues for engineers. Private 5G networks have unique requirements that are more specific and varied than open public networks. Not only are there a tremendous amount of frequency/band combinations that must be considered for sunny-day testing but attention needs to be given to ensure devices that are supposed to work exclusively in an NPN environment do not connect to macro networks and unauthorized UE do not connect to an NPN. For this reason, other tests must be conducted to ensure performance, including:
Connectivity — 5G IoT devices need proper testing to verify call connection, cell selection/reselection, access control, and any mobility implications in NPN environments. There are new features of 5G NPN that allow the device to selectively connect to the correct network. Verify that a private 5G network is truly only catering to private 5G devices.
Compatibility — many devices used in a private network support cellular, Wi-Fi, and short-range wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth and Zigbee. Ensuring UE can seamlessly transfer from one technology to another is essential to private 5G network performance.
Interference — given most private 5G network use cases, interference testing is critical. In addition to supporting multiple technologies, devices must operate in less-than-ideal real-world environments and in mission-critical scenarios. Engineers must have confidence product performance will not degrade due to interference before they are shipped to customers.
Creating a test environment
Implementing a test process to support private 5G UE requires a practical approach. The test environment must simulate real-world scenarios to efficiently verify that the UE will perform when deployed into a private 5G network. Design your test system with intuitive software to more efficiently support various and ever-changing test conditions and evolving standards, which will help to control test costs.
Conclusion
Private 5G networks play a significant role in the fourth industrial revolution. Engineers responsible for developing UE in these use cases must implement test processes that follow 3GPP standards and create real-world scenarios that precisely mirror the specific private 5G network environment. Such an approach will provide greater confidence that the UE will meet established KPIs.
Nuclear fusion, in its most common form, is the process of energy being released when bits (“atomic nuclei”, if you’re fancy) of hydrogen are exposed to extreme heat and combined. This process releases massive amounts of energy, which humanity is increasingly hungry for. That’s how the sun works too, by the way.
The importance of nuclear fusion lies in earth’s near-unlimited hydrogen supply, which can be extracted from water, and the fact that its only by-product is harmless helium. Fusion reactors are also safer than fission reactors, as they do not create any long-lived radioactive nuclear waste. If implemented, commercial nuclear fusion power would provide cheap utility-scale energy with very little environmental impact and improve energy availability and security.
Several countries have heavily invested in fusion research, and private companies are also conducting their own trials. The ITER reactor, which is under construction in France and due to begin operation in 2026, is the first reactor that should produce energy-positive fusion; but dozens of others are being built.
However, fusion research is slow and capital-intensive. The technology’s biggest issue is that rectors currently need to create temperatures hotter than those found on the sun to start the fusion reaction. Doing so requires more energy than what the reaction produces. Despite recent advances, commercial operation of fusion power is still uncertain and likely more than a decade away.
Whether they are in factories, in warehouses, at home, or on the street, robots are impressive… yet profoundly stupid. They work well in highly controlled environments, but every new situation stumps and/or breaks them, which tends to be very expensive. “Robot knowledge sharing” technology changes that. Researchers pushing the concept forward aim to create a standardised way for robots to share information with each other.
That information would be gathered through trial and error (aka reinforcement learning), which we know to be an efficient way for AIs to learn. It could take many forms, from the simple knowledge that an obstacle has appeared on a road, to the ability to grab a complex shape. Efficiency will go up exponentially, and costs will decrease at breakneck speed.
I made this, pls clap
Once the genie is out of the bottle, we will not be able to put it back. But let’s hold the Terminator talks for 2040: hardware, sensors, ML processes, data configuration… much needs to be standardised before the concept works. All the big players will want their way to be the right way, and nothing may get done. At the end of the day, it may be humanity’s inability to agree on anything that saves it.
Let me tell you about the future of work. You will work on something you love, without interviewing. You will work for numerous employers, all of which will pay you based on a contract you did not sign. You will compete for rewards with colleagues you don’t know, but you’ll see everything they do. You will get a say on the organization’s strategy, but so will all your customers. You’ll be remote, global, and always “on”. Sounds like a dream? You’re right. A nightmare? Right again. Welcome to the world of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations.
According to the technology’s (or is it a concept?) many fans, DAOs are how humans will soon come together as a group to make decisions in the digital world. They will do so with the help of two key tools. Firstly, the rules governing organisations will be expressed as a series of “IF/THEN” statements coded directly into a blockchain, rendering them both auditable and permanent. Secondly, voting shares will be issued to stakeholders in the form of “digital governance tokens” — also recorded on a blockchain. Doing things this way replaces, in theory, both the legal mumbo-jumbo of today’s organizations (as rules are coded) and their hierarchical nature (as every stakeholder has a voice).
Technically, all sorts of work structures can be created as Decentralized Autonomous Organizations. Investment companies, consulting companies, engineering companies, etc. But that’s just the theory; the reality is more complex… and more interesting.
Read more on Decentralized Autonomous Organizations The Pourquoi Pas.
4. Digital Twin of a customer
Have you ever wanted, like, the most boring crystal ball ever? Want no more: companies are building just that by using AI to create digital twins of customers. They will be able to predict the future… but only the part where you decide which brand of toilet paper you’ll buy. If that feels like a Balzac premise, trust your instincts.
With enough data and dynamic algorithms, it is now easy to create capitalistic digital replicas of specific persons or personas. This would be not only to understand and predict behaviors but how changes in purchasing environments will affect customer decisions based on what is known about them. As markets become tighter, and the cost of borrowing more expensive, companies must make sure they make the right choices about products, services, promotions, marketing campaigns… Being able to play with categories of customers as we once played The Sims will no doubt reduce the cost of failures and maximise stockholder profits. That’s the whole point, right?
This technology is already in progress and will no doubt work for personas/categories of customers. Things may be different for individuals, however. We may finally be wary enough of having our data harvested for manipulative purposes. Companies looking to create Digital Twins will need to establish trust in their process and use of the technology. And even then… how could they predict the unpredictable (2020, anyone)?
Just 3 years ago, I was writing about 5G and the numerous industries it would transform: IoT, self-driving, entertainment… and we’re far from being done experimenting with it. And yet, it’s already time to look to the future of internet service: 6G. The good news for me is that 6G’s features are not yet fully agreed on. That way, we can hope for what it will be able to do and complain later when we’re inevitably disappointed. In this case, “later” may be a while away: though design and research has already begun, 6G commercialisation won’t be before 2030. This follows the telecom industry’s familiar pattern of adding a new generation every 10 years.
In the meantime, here’s what we do know: the technology will go above and beyond 5G with regards to providing higher peak data rate, lower latency, much more connection density, and energy efficiency. Whether the jump will be as significant as 4G to 5G was is still to be seen, though. Most experts agree that AI will be a key component of the technology, as will secrecy, security, and privacy.
What will be fully different from 5G is the government’s implication in its design: the Korean, Japanese, and American governments already intend to have a say in the future infrastructure of their country. Whether that’s a net positive for privacy is yet to be seen…
The name 4D printing can lead to confusion: I am not implying that humanity will be able to create and access another dimension. Put simply, a 4D-printed product is a 3D-printed object which can change properties when a specific stimulus is applied (submerged underwater, heated, shaken, not stirred…). The 4th Dimension is therefore Smart Materials.
The key challenge of this technology is obviously finding the relevant “smart material” for all types of uses (namely a hydrogel or a shape memory polymer for the time being). Some work is being done in this space, but we’re not close to being customer-ready, having yet to master reversible changes of certain materials.
The applications are still being discussed, but some very promising industries include healthcare (pills that activate only if the body reaches a certain temperature), fashion (clothes that become tighter in cold temperatures or shoes that improve grip under wet conditions), and homemaking (furniture that becomes rigid under a certain stimulus). Another cool use case is computational folding, wherein objects larger than printers can be printed as only one part.
Generative AI technology uses deep learning to generate creative assets such as videos, narratives, training data, designs, and schematics. While you may have played with (and enjoyed!) the likes of ChatGPT and Midjourney, they’re barely more than surface-level distractions.
Enterprise uses for generative AI are far more sophisticated. If used to its full extent, the technology can reduce product-development life cycle time, design drugs in months instead of years, compose entirely new materials, generate synthetic data, optimise part design, automate creativity… In fact, experts predict that by 2025, 30% of outbound marketing messages from large organisations will be synthetically generated, and by 2030, a major blockbuster film will be released with 90% of the film generated by AI.
Tom Cruise, riding a T-rex at Hogwarts — you’re welcome
The technology has very real use cases, that can be put in place today, and which will continue to be put in place with increasing success over the coming decade. That is if we can navigate the many risks associated with generative AI. I’m particularly worried about deepfakes, copyright issues, and malicious uses for fake news.
High-temperature superconductivity (HTS) is the ability of certain ceramics to have zero or low electrical resistance at “high” temperatures compared to other superconductors. High here means above −196°C / −321°F. This means HT superconductors can be cooled with simple liquid nitrogen rather than require expensive and hard-to-handle coolants like liquid helium. they can also withstand much higher magnetic fields than Low-temperature superconductors.
There are a lot of applications for superconductive materials, but only one is truly transformative (while remaining utterly boring): HTS will improve the electric power sector and reduce its environmental impact by reducing technical losses and increasing energy efficiency. Down the line, there are discussions around its use within fusion reactors, but those conversations are too early to be definite.
In any case, HTS is still a relatively immature technology. Ceramic superconductors are becoming suitable for some practical use but are today more complex and costly than comparative conventional technology. As with everything else on this list… more research is needed!
Technology tends to hold a dark mirror to society, reflecting both what’s great and evil about its makers. Today, more than ever, it’s important to remember that technology is often value-neutral; it’s what we decide to do with it day in and day out that defines whether we are dealing with the “next big thing”.
Good luck out there.
Source: by Adrien Book – https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/technologys-next-big-thing – 06 02 23
Cloud computing, automated technologies and the emergence of 5G networks are coming together to help to connect devices across diverse global networks.
The age of the Internet of Things (IoT) is upon us, and it’s little surprise that a number of organisations are jumping on the bandwagon. IoT helps to connect us to the digital world, paving the way for enhanced customer experiences, improved processes and better operational efficiencies. Its potential is reflected in the fact that the global IoT market is set to be worth a staggering $1.5 trillion by 2030.
However, the ability to leverage the benefits of IoT implementation may not be as straightforward as initially thought for a number of organisations. Businesses must take a plethora of considerations into account, including the storage needed to power applications, the restrictions posed by legacy systems and the need to mitigate threats to sensitive data. Firstly however, they must ensure that the right infrastructure foundations are in place.
It’s all about data
Modernising cumbersome IT infrastructures is key, as is the need to migrate systems to the cloud to be able to fully utilise connected devices. Low latency and low cost is an imperative for businesses to fully embrace IoT, but can prove difficult to achieve. A solid infrastructural foundation is needed for huge volumes of data to be ingested in real-time. In addition, bandwidth must be sufficient to enable big data analysis and drive decision-making, with this capability gaining new significance as IoT data processing moves to the edge.
Legacy systems frequently prove to be a blocker to increased scalability and flexibility, as many products integrated over ten years ago are unlikely to possess the agility required to process, store and analyse significantly higher volumes of unstructured data. Simultaneously, understanding of IoT technology is still limited in a number of businesses, leading to hesitation and hindrances in digital transformation progress.
To ensure best utilisation of IoT, today’s data centre colocation providers are leading the way in delivering the right solutions. For example, they can provide methods to organise big data and enable low-cost connectivity, as well as share knowledge to businesses that may be unsure of the best strategy and therefore help them to navigate the implementation successfully.
Moving forward with colocation
Colocation data centres are ideally suited to bringing the benefits of IoT to businesses. For example, colocation can both enable and facilitate the connections needed to support IoT use cases, while also ensuring that sensitive data is protected. This is due to optimum levels of protection against the growing threat of cyber attacks by sophisticated malicious actors.
The benefits of colocation are evolving. For factories, supply chains, power grids, distributed products and even entire cities, it is now becoming the most efficient and flexible way to both manage and analyse significant amounts of IoT sensor data. No longer a hope for the future, smart cities are now very much real, with IoT bringing utilities, services, security and transportation together in a number of locations. Colocation providers are some of the organisations helping to make them a reality.
With businesses that have embraced IoT, network connectivity will need to grow in tandem. This means that an interconnected mesh of international and regional access hubs will be needed to enable hybrid cloud benefits through colocation networking. The ultimate intention is to ensure that data can move from each location to the next with limited costs involved for connectivity charges.
Unlocking IoT value
Opting for the right colocation data centre provider will enable organisations to make best use of the edge and enable their customers to benefit through use of IoT and cloud solutions. With so many of the IoT platforms and applications today being ‘as-a-Service’ and ‘cloud first’ by nature, moving data in the cloud will be a crucial first step to access the benefits, particularly as the number of IoT platforms and application providers continue to expand.
Organisations are then able to leverage the capability provided by colocation providers to utilise ‘anytime, anywhere’ interconnectivity alongside cloud-based storage and compute technologies. It’s this comprehensive infrastructure that will prove to be the key in being able to combine the digital and physical worlds and make best use of IoT devices.
As 5G continues to roll out, work is already well underway on its successor. 6G wireless technology brings with it a promise for a better future. Among other goals, 6G technology intends to merge the human, physical, and digital worlds. In doing so, there is a hope that 6G can significantly aid in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
This article answers some of the most common questions surrounding 6G and provides more insight into the vision for 6G and how it will achieve these critical goals.
1. What is 6G?
In a nutshell, 6G is the sixth generation of the wireless communications standard for cellular networks that will succeed today’s 5G (fifth generation). The research community does not expect 6G technology to replace the previous generations, though. Instead, they will work together to provide solutions that enhance our lives.
While 5G will act as a building block for some aspects of 6G, other aspects need to be new for it to meet the technical demands required to revolutionize the way we connect to the world in a fashion.
The first area of improvement is speed. In theory, 5G can achieve a peak data rate of 20 Gbps even though the highest speeds recorded in tests so far are around 8 Gbps. In 6G, as we move to higher frequencies – above 100 GHz – the goal peak data rate will be 1,000 Gbps (1 Tbps), enabling use cases like volumetric video and enhanced virtual reality experiences.
In addition to speed, 6G technology will add another crucial advantage: extremely low latency. That means a minimal delay in communications, which will play a pivotal role in unleashing the internet of things (IoT) and industrial applications.
6G technology will enable tomorrow’s IoT through enhanced connectivity. Today’s 5G can handle one million devices connected simultaneously per square kilometer (or 0.38 square miles), but 6G will make that figure jump up to 10 million.
But 6G will be much more than just faster data rates and lower latency. Below we discuss some of the new technologies that will shape the next generation of wireless communications.
2. Who will use 6G technology and what are the use cases?
We began to see the shift to more machine-to-machine communication in 5G, and 6G looks to take this to the next level. While people will be end users for 6G, so will more and more of our devices. This shift will affect daily life as well as businesses and entire industries in a transformational way.
Beyond faster browsing for the end user, we can expect immersive and haptic experiences to enhance human communications. Ericsson, for example, foresees the emergence of the “internet of senses,” the possibility to feel sensations like a scent or a flavor digitally. According to one Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN) report, holographic telepresence and volumetric video – think of it as video in 3D – will also be a use case. This is all so that virtual, mixed, and augmented reality could be part of our everyday lives.
However, 6G technology will likely have a bigger impact on business and industry – benefiting us, the end users, as a result. With the ability to handle millions of connections simultaneously, machines will have the power to perform tasks they cannot do today.
The NGMN report anticipates that 6G networks will enable hyper-accurate localization and tracking. This could bring advancements like allowing drones and robots to deliver goods and manage manufacturing plants, improving digital health care and remote health monitoring, and enhancing the use of digital twins.
Digital twin development will be an interesting use case to keep an eye on. It is an important tool that certain industries can use to find the best ways to fix a problem in plants or specific machines – but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine if you could create a digital twin of an entire city and perform tests on the replica to assess which solutions would work best for problems like traffic management. Already in Singapore, the government is working to build a 3D city model that will enable a smart city in the future.
3. What do we need to achieve 6G?
New horizons ask for new technology. It is true that 6G will greatly benefit from 5G in areas such as edge computing, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), network slicing, and others. At the same time, we need changes to match new technical requirements.
The most sensible demand is understanding how to work in the sub terahertz frequency. While 5G needs to operate in the millimeter wave (mmWave) bands of 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz to achieve its full potential, the next generation of mobile connectivity will likely move to frequencies above 100 GHz in the ranges called sub-terahertz and possibly as high as true terahertz.
Why does this matter? Because as we go up in frequency, the wave behaves in a different way. Before 5G, cellular communications used only spectrum below 6GHz, and these signals can travel up to 10 miles. As we go up into the mmWave frequency band, the range is dramatically reduced to around 1,000 feet. With sub THz signals like those being proposed for 6G, the distance the waves can travel tends to be smaller – think 10s to 100s of feet not 1000s.
That said, we can maximize the signal propagation and range by using new types of antennas. An antenna’s size is proportional to the signal wavelength, so as the frequency gets higher and the wavelength gets shorter, antennas are small enough to be deployed in a large number. In addition, this equipment uses a technique known as beamforming – directing the signal toward one specific receiver instead of radiating out in all directions like the omnidirectional antennas commonly used prior to LTE.
Another area of interest is designing 6G networks for AI and ML. 5G networks are starting to look at adding AI and ML to existing networks, but with 6G we have the opportunity to build networks from the ground up that are designed to work natively with these technologies.
According to one International Telecommunication Union (ITU) report, the world will generate over 5,000 exabytes of data per month by 2030. Or 5 billion terabytes a month. With so many people and devices connected, we will have to rely on AI and ML to perform tasks such as managing data traffic, allowing smart industrial machines to make real-time decisions and use resources efficiently, among other things.
Another challenge 6G aims to tackle is security – how to ensure the data is safe and that only authorized people can have access to it – and solutions to make systems foresee complex attacks automatically.
One last technical demand is virtualization. As 5G evolves, we will start to move to the virtual environment. Open RAN (O-RAN) architectures are moving more processing and functionality into the cloud today. Solutions like edge computing will be more and more common in the future.
4. Will 6G technology be sustainable?
Sustainability is at the core of every conversation in the telecommunications sector today. It is true that as we advance 5G and come closer to 6G, humans and machines will consume increasing data. Just to give you an idea of our carbon footprint in the digital world, one simple email is responsible for 4 grams of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
However, 6G technology is expected to help humans improve sustainability in a wide array of applications. One example is by optimizing the use of natural resources in farms. Using real-time data, 6G will also enable smart vehicle routing, which will cut carbon emissions, and better energy distribution, which will increase efficiency.
Also, researchers are putting sustainability at the center of their 6G projects. Components like semiconductors using new materials should decrease power consumption. Ultimately, we expect the next generation of mobile connectivity to help achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
5. When will 6G be available?
The industry consensus is that the first 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards release to include 6G will be completed in 2030. Early versions of 6G technologies could be demonstrated in trials as early as 2028, repeating the 10-year cycle we saw in previous generations. That is the vision made public by the Next G Alliance, a North American initiative of which Keysight is a founding member, to foster 6G development in the United States and Canada.
Before launching the next generation of mobile connectivity into the market, international bodies discuss technical specifications to allow for interoperability. This means, for example, making sure that your phone will work everywhere in the world.
The ITU and the 3GPP are among the most well-known standardization bodies and hold working groups to assess research on 6G globally. Federal agencies also play a significant role, regulating and granting spectrum for research and deployment.
Amid all this, technology development is another aspect to keep in mind. Many 6G capabilities demand new solutions that often use nontraditional materials and approaches. The process of getting these solutions in place will take time.
The good news? The telecommunications sector is making fast progress toward the next G.
Here at Keysight, for instance, we are leveraging our proven track record of collaboration in 5G and Open RAN to pioneer solutions needed to create the foundation of 6G. We partner with market leaders to advance testing and measurement for emerging 6G technologies. Every week, we come across a piece of news informing that a company or a university has made a groundbreaking discovery.
The most exciting thing is that we get an inch closer to 6G every day. Tomorrow’s internet is being built today. Join us in this journey; it is just the beginning.
Learn more about the latest advancements in 6G research.
Despite no work even started by ITU-R WP 5D (responsible for all IMT xG’s), global technology intelligence firm ABI Research expects that 75% of 5G base stations will be upgraded to 5G-Advanced by 2030, five years after the estimated commercial launch in 2025.
3GPP approved their Release-18 package in December 2021, making the official start of 5G-Advanced with the planned freeze date in December 2023.
But that really doesn’t mean much since Release-16 was frozen in June 2020, yet 2+ years later the spec for URLLC in the RAN has not been completed. As a result, neither 3GPP or ITU-R recommendation M.2150 (formerly IMT 2020) meets the ITU-R M.2410 performance requirements for URLLC use case. Also, less than 5% of deployed 5G networks are 5G SA with a 5G Core network, which is required for implementation of ALL 5G features, e.g. network slicing, security, automation, as well as MEC.
Some network operators like Verizon have already admitted that it could take up to a decade before they profit from their 5G investments.
ABI Research claims that 5G-Advanced will bring continuous enhancements to mobile network capabilities and use case-based support to help mobile operators with 5G commercialization, long-term development of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML), and network energy savings for a fully automated network and a sustainable future.
“In 5G-Advanced, Extended Reality (XR) applications will promise monetary opportunities to both the consumer markets with use cases like gaming, video streaming, as well as enterprise opportunities such as remote working and virtual training. Therefore, XR applications are a major focus of 3GPP working groups to significantly improve XR-specific traffic performance and power consumption for the mass market adoption,” explains Gu Zhang, 5G & Mobile Network Infrastructure Principal Analyst at ABI Research. “Another noticeable feature is AI/ML which will become essential for future networks given the predictive rapid growth in 5G network usage and use case complexities which can’t be managed by legacy optimization approaches with presumed models. System-level network energy saving is also a critical aspect as operators need to reduce the deployment cost but assure network performance for various use cases.”
The upgrade of 5G network infrastructure is expected to be faster in the consumer market than in enterprises. ABI Research forecasts that 75% of 5G base stations will be upgraded to 5G-Advanced, while in the enterprise market the ratio is about half. 5G-Advanced devices per radio base station will quickly gain traction around 2024 to 2026 at the early stage of the commercial launch because devices will grow more aggressively than network deployments over the period.
“The commercial launch of 5G-Advanced will take two or three years, but the competition has already started, Zhang points out. “Taking AI/ML development as an example, industrial leaders such as Ericson, Huawei, Nokia, ZTE, and Qualcomm have trialed their solutions with mobile operators across the world. Ongoing development in this area will continue to bring improvements on traffic throughputs, network coverage, power saving, anomaly detection, etc.”
Different from previous generations, 5G creates an ecosystem for vertical markets such as automotive, energy, food and agriculture, city management, government, healthcare, manufacturing, and public transportation. “The influence on the domestic economy from the telco players will be more significant than before and that trend will continue for 5G-Advanced onward. Network operators and vendors should keep close to the regulators and make sure all parties involved grow together when the time-to-market arrives,” Zhang concludes.
These findings are from ABI Research’s 5G-Advanced and the Road to 6G application analysis report. This report is part of the company’s 5G & Mobile Network Infrastructure research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights. Application Analysis reports present in-depth analysis on key market trends and factors for a specific technology.
Every eight to ten years a new mobile network generation is popping up. But the 5th generation of mobile communications is quite different from the previous generations and a lot of promises and expectations are related to it. For the first time, this is a pure software-based network that, per definition, could be changed and evolved. So we are convinced that 6G will mainly be an evolution of 5G but with disruption originating from the inclusion of terahertz communications.
6G is also associated with new business and operation models, green ICT considerations, more agile network deployments and run-time optimizations based on machine learning and artificial intelligence, closer RAN-Core integration due to end-to-end virtualization, non-terrestrial network integration, as well as terahertz communication paving the way for new potentialities in the context of sensing and data capacities as a new 6G RAN technology.
Campus networks are driving 5G innovations
We truly believe, that globally emerging 5G enterprise/campus networks are driving the major 5G innovations as many 5G application domains such as manufacturing, health, mining, events, etc. are promoting a localized spectrum usage in higher frequencies and allow for a much faster and customized deployment of innovative secure and resilient end-to-end network infrastructures with highly flexible operation models. This is the motivation for our continued R&D in the Open5GCore and 5G Playground.
CampusOS: ecosystem for open 5G campus networks
Fraunhofer FOKUS is coordinating together with Fraunhofer HHI the project CampusOS, which is funded by the German Ministry for Economical Affairs and Climate Protection with 18 million euros. CampusOS started in January 2022 for a duration of three years and 4 academic and 18 industry partners, covering equipment and software providers, integrators and application providers, aim to develop an ecosystem for emerging open campus networks. Current Open RAN discussions can be regarded as drivers towards open, multi-vendor campus networks. This should be enabled by the development of suitable reference architectures, functional component catalogues, end to end deployment and operation blueprints, as well as open reference test sites, where the FOKUS 5G playground is representing one of these test sites. A major target of this project is to extend the Open5GCore to “OpenRAN-Readiness”.
6G SENTINEL: Fraunhofer lighthouse project
Fraunhofer FOKUS is part of the 6G SENTINEL lighthouse project, a lead project of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft started in 2021, to develop key technologies for the upcoming 6G mobile communications standard. A first white paper published end of 2021 provides the first results and a major target of this project is to extend the Open5GCore to “6G-Readiness”.
6G Hubs for Germany
Since August 2021, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research is funding the establishment of four hubs for research into the future technology 6G with up to 250 million euros. Fraunhofer FOKUS is actively contributing to two of them over the next four years: the “6G Research and Innovation Cluster” (6G-RIC) and the Open6GHub. A major target of these projects is to develop a new “Organic 6G Core”, enabling from 2026 onwards the early prototyping of emerging 3GPP 6G standards.
Please watch out for the Open5GCore roadmap and look for our future releases aiming to enable, from the beginning of 2022, applied “becoming 6G-ready” research.
A major wave of change is coming to the wireless world. 5G mobile towers are cropping up in cities from Boston and Seattle to Dallas and Kansas City. This 5th generation wireless network touts a new level of speed and reliability. With the exponential growth of smart devices and the internet of things, current 4G networks are straining to meet bandwidth demand. 5G promises to deliver increased capacity and energy efficiency at a fraction of the cost.
However, the adoption of any new technology is always fraught with challenges. The transition to 5G will not happen at the press of a button. Initially, 5G will work in parallel to 4G networks as physical infrastructure is overhauled. Devices and network technology will need hardware upgrades to adapt to the new system. Eventually, 5G will be released as an all-software network that can be maintained like any other digital system today.
“The race to 5G is on, and America must win,” President Donald Trump said in April of 2019. And while politics and media have defined this race as whoever builds 5G the fastest, the tougher race is focused on retooling and securing this network. Because of software’s innate vulnerabilities, the ecosystem of 5G applications could pose a serious security risk, not just to individuals but also to the nation.
Let’s look at three key cyber security risks for 5G networks and what can be done to minimize them.
Risk Factor 1: Exponential Increase In Attack Surface
A network’s attack surface is the total of access points that can be exploited by a hacker. 5G’s dynamic software-based systems have far more traffic routing points than the current hardware-based, centralized hub-and-spoke designs that 4G has. Multiple unregulated entry points to the network can allow hackers access to location tracking and even cellular reception for logged-in users. This new architecture also makes current cybersecurity practices redundant, opening up the network to dangerous attacks.
Risk Mitigation: Early Planning And Investment
5G technologies require a complete rehaul of network security, which isn’t possible without significant funding and executive support. This is a shared responsibility between both governments and 5G businesses. Government policies need to take into account where the market falls short and how it can be addressed. We need to invest now — before we’re caught with no sustainable cybersecurity plans in place.
Risk Factor 2: Nonexistent IoT Security Standards
Many IoT devices are being manufactured with minimal or non-existent cybersecurity measures. These devices are already being used by hackers as entry points to enterprise networks. We may soon live in a world where billions of everyday devices, from toothbrushes to coffee machines, could be connecting to the internet automatically. In the future, such unsecured IoT devices could easily allow for man-in-the-middle attacks. A cybercriminal could intercept and change sensitive communication over 5G.
Risk Mitigation: IoT Manufacturer Incentives And Consumer Education
Just like the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) grades radio systems, we should have a new regulatory body to oversee IoT devices. But it’s important to plan for a scenario where IoT manufacturers may still not comply with new regulatory frameworks. This especially holds true for low-end IoT brands, which just may not be able to afford the added cost of production when it comes to these changes. Incentives like market monopoly or logistics support for complying brands will be required to effectively regulate the IoT market.
Moreover, 5G security is only as strong as its weakest links. Despite regulation, a wide variation in security quality may still exist. Customer education on how to choose and use IoT devices safely will be crucial. For example, labeling standards may need to be introduced to indicate which devices are secure and which are not.
Risk Factor 3: Dynamic Spectrum Sharing Makes Network Partitioning Complex
Current 4G systems use network partition methods to limit cyber attacks. Networks are subdivided by hardware to prevent the existence of a single point of failure. If one node of the network is attacked, it can be “quarantined” to limit the attack, without ceding control of the whole network. On the other hand, 5G uses short-range, low-cost and small-cell physical antennas within the geographic area of coverage. Each antenna can become a single point of control. Botnet and denial of service (DDoS) type attacks can bring down whole portions of the network simply by overloading a single node.
Also, 5G uses dynamic spectrum sharing, a telecommunication system that breaks data packets into “slices.” Each slice from different, parallel communications is sent over the same bandwidth. Each slice thus contributes to its cyber risk degree.
Risk Mitigation: Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning In Network Management
The dynamic nature of 5G’s network architecture requires a dynamic and fast-learning management system. Software-based and intelligent computing solutions are required for effective countermeasures. AI-powered cyber solutions will continue learning and updating themselves. AI and machine learning can serve as powerful tools for 5G cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity Best Practices For Adopting 5G Networks
If you plan to switch to 5G networks, here are some things you can do to protect data misuse and system tracking from your devices.
1. Use a VPN when connecting any device to the internet. You can do this by implementing VPN routers in your home or office.
2. Set up complex passwords for all personal devices. Change default passwords on any IoT devices you may have at home.
3. Update your computer, phone and other devices regularly. Set up and use antivirus software on critical devices.
With this, you should be well on your way to embracing 5G and the innovation it will bring to all industries.
Scientists in Japan have transferred data at 100 gigabits per second in high-frequency wavelength bands over a distance of 330 feet for the first time. (Image credit: fhm via Getty Images) A consortium of companies in Japan has built the world’s first high-speed 6G wireless device, capable of transmitting data at blistering speeds of 100 […]
Discover the revolutionary Top 10 Technologies for 2025 that will shape our future. From AI to Quantum Computing, see what innovations await. Introduction to Future Technologies As we edge closer to 2025, the technology landscape continues to evolve at a breathtaking pace. Identifying the top ten technologies is not just about predicting trends; it’s about […]
6G is looking to achieve a broad range of goals in turn, requiring an extensive array of technologies. Like 5G, no single technology will define 6G. The groundwork laid out in the previous generation will serve as a starting point for the new one. As a distinct new generation though, 6G will also break free […]
It’s been years in the making, but 5G — the next big chapter in wireless technology — is finally approaching the mainstream. While we haven’t yet reached the point where it’s available everywhere, nearly all of the best smartphones are 5G-capable these days, and you’re far more likely to see a 5G icon lit up on your […]
With private networks connecting to many IoT devices, testing the device’s user interface requires updating test processes. Many IoT use cases rely on private 5G networks because they offer greater network control, better security, more reliable performance, and dedicated coverage and capacity as opposed to using a public network. With these advantages, private networks play […]
ytd2525 