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Flexibility is key when navigating the future of 6G


The differences between 5G and 6G are not just about what collection of bandwidth will make up 6G in the future and how users will connect to the network, but also about the intelligence built into the network and devices. “The collection of networks that will render the 6G fabric should work differently for an augmented reality (AR) headset than an email client on a mobile device,” says Shahriar Shahramian, research leader at Nokia Bell Laboratories. “Communications providers need to solve numerous technical challenges to keep various networks based on different technologies running smoothly,” he says. Devices will need to switch between different frequencies, adjust data rates, and adapt to the needs of a particular application, which may run locally, at the edge of the cloud, or in a utility service.

“One of the complexities of 6G will be how we can combine different wireless technologies so that they can transfer to each other and work really well together, without the end user even knowing,” Shahramian says. “This cycle work is the hard part.”

While the current 5G network allows consumers to experience smoother transitions as devices move between different networks (providing higher bandwidth and lower latency), 6G is also self-contained, capable of supporting and facilitating emerging technologies that are struggling for a foothold today. It will also start a recognizing network. —virtual reality and augmented reality technologies, such as self-driving cars. As this standard evolves into 5G-Advanced, artificial intelligence and machine learning technology that will be integrated into 5G will be designed from the ground up to 6G to simplify technical tasks such as optimizing radio signals and scheduling data traffic efficiently.

Graph showing broadband technology features from 2G to 6G
Credits: Nokia; Used with permission.

“Finally these [technologies] two Nokia researchers could give radios the ability to learn from each other and their environment. Wrote a post about the future of AI and ML in communication networks. “Instead of engineers telling nodes in the network how to communicate, these nodes can determine for themselves the best possible way to communicate – choosing from millions of possible configurations.”

Test technology that doesn’t exist yet

Although this technology is still undeveloped, it is complex, so it is clear that testing will play a critical role in the process. “Companies creating test environments for 6G must contend with the simple fact that 6G is a desirable target and not yet a real-world feature,” says Jue. “The network complexity required to realize the 6G vision will require iterative and extensive testing of all aspects of the ecosystem; But as 6G is an emerging network concept, the tools and technology needed to get there need to be adaptable and flexible.”

Even determining which bandwidths to use and for which application will take a lot of research. Second and third generation cellular networks used low and medium range wireless bands with frequencies up to 2.6 GHz. The next generation 4G expands this to 6Ghz, while the current technology, 5G, goes even further, naming it “mmWave” (mmWave) (millimeter wave) up to 71 GHz.

To support the required bandwidth requirements of 6G, Nokia and Keysight are partnering to explore the sub-terahertz spectrum for communications, which raises new technical issues. Typically, the higher the frequency of the cellular spectrum, the wider the adjacent bandwidths available, and therefore the greater the data rate; but this comes at the expense of range reduction for a given signal strength. For example, low-power wi-fi networks using the 2.6Ghz and 5Ghz bands have a range of tens of meters, but cellular networks using 800Mhz and 1.9Ghz have a range of kilometers. Adding 24-71GHz to 5G means the associated cells are even smaller (tens to hundreds of meters). And for bands above 100GHz, the challenges are even more significant.

“This will have to change,” Jue says. “One of the new key disruptors for 6G could be the move from the millimeter bands used in 5G to the relatively unexplored sub-terahertz bands for wireless communications,” he says. “These bands have the potential to offer broad spectrum areas that can be used for high throughput applications, but they also present many unknowns.”

If tech companies can overcome the challenges, adding sub-terahertz bands to the toolbox of wireless communication devices could open up large networks of sensing devices, high-quality augmented reality, and locally networked tools.

In addition to different spectrum bands, current ideas for future 6G networking will have to take advantage of new network architectures and better security and reliability methods. Additionally, devices will need extra sensors and processing capabilities to adapt to network conditions and optimize communication. To do all this, 6G will require a foundation of artificial intelligence and machine learning to manage the complexities and interactions between every part of the system.

“Every time you introduce a new wireless technology, every time you introduce new spectrum, you make your problem exponentially harder,” says Shahramian of Nokia.

Nokia plans to start rolling out 6G technology before 2030. As the definition of 6G remains volatile, development and test platforms need to support a variety of devices and applications and accommodate a wide variety of use cases. Also, today’s technology may not even support the requirements necessary to test potential 6G applications, requiring companies like Keysight to create new tested platforms and adapt to changing requirements.

Simulation technology developed and used today, such as digital twins, will be used to create adaptive solutions. The technology enables real-world data from physical prototypes to be integrated back into the simulation, leading to future designs that work better in the real world.

“However, real physical data is needed to create accurate simulations, while digital twins will provide greater agility for companies developing the technology,” says Keysight’s Jue.

Simulation helps avoid many of the interactive and time-consuming design steps that can slow down development based on successive physical prototypes.

“Really, the key here is a high degree of flexibility and the flexibility to help customers start doing their research and testing, while also offering the flexibility to change and navigate that change as technology evolves,” Jue says. “So, starting design exploration in a simulation environment and then combining this flexible simulation environment with a scalable THz subtest environment for 6G research helps provide that flexibility.”

Shahramian from Nokia agrees it’s a long process, but the point is clear For technology cycles, ten years is a long cycle. But for the complex technological systems of 6G, 2030 remains an aggressive target. To meet this challenge, development and test tools must match the agility of engineers trying to build the next network. The reward is important – a fundamental change in the way we interact with devices and what we do with technology.”

This content is produced by Insights, the exclusive content arm of MIT Technology Review. It was not written by the editorial staff of MIT Technology Review.



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