The commercial launch of 5G started in 2019. Many countries worldwide have deployed their 5G networks, with leading countries including South Korea, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Finland, Spain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Australia, and Germany. Alongside these deployment activities, academia and industry are starting to envision the sixth generation of wireless technology for the 2030s, and many related research projects have already started. According to forecasts, 2028 and 2029 will be the early commercial deployment years for 6G, with the first standard technology expected around 2026.
In the 2030s, 6G could be the key enabler to realizing ubiquitous connectivity with a wide range of devices/sensors using in diverse communication environments.
5G is designed to provide a peak data rate of 20 Gigabit per second (Gbps), and an average user experience rate of 120 Megabit per second (Mbps). These numbers probably need to be revised to 1,000 Gbps and 1 Gbps, respectively, in 6G to support applications like XR and holographic communications, where THz communications can play a vital role due to its extremely wide bandwidth. In-band full-duplex technology enables communication nodes to learn or sense other available channels while transmitting data, which shortens the latency and improve spectrum efficiency. Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) technology has already been a hot topic in the 5G era. By combining it with distributed computing, the rapid growth of data volume and highly complex network architecture foreseen in 6G are expected to be easily processed and managed to meet dynamic connectivity needs.
Actionable Benefits
- Identify 6G megatrends and key enabling technologies and application use cases.
- Looks in detail at a realistic timeline for standards and potential development and deployment challenges.
- Understand current research activities and the way to build a robust ecosystem.
Critical Questions Answered
- Why 6G is not just a better 5G?
- What are the key requirements that 6G expects to achieve?
- Why do we need 6G?
- What are the killer application use cases for 6G?
- What are the challenges faced in the 6G era?
- When will 6G technologies be commercialized?
Research Highlights
- A detailed description of current network development and deployment focus and missing parts of 5G and existing open network solutions.
- Comprehensive analysis of main application use cases and key enabling technologies to support 6G deployment.
- Key challenges that may hinder the development progress of 6G from both technical and political points of view.
Who Should Read This?
- Decision-makers within government and regulatory bodies.
- Standardization bodies and relevant organizations.
- Network operators and infrastructure vendors.
- Radio hardware and software vendors.
- System integrators and chipset suppliers.
- Application developers and webscalers.
- Commercial and industrial companies.
Companies Mentioned
- AirBus
- Alcatel-Lucent
- Apple
- ATOS
- Bosch
- CEA
- China Mobile
- China Unicom
- Ciena
- Cisco
- Ericsson
- EURECOM
- Facebook
- Google
- Huawei
- Intel
- LG
- Microsoft
- NEC
- Nokia
- NXP Semiconductors
- Oledcomm
- Orange
- Qualcomm
- Samsung
- SK Telecom
- Telefonica
- Thales
- TIM
- TUD
- VIAVI
- VVT
- ZTE
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2. RECOMMENDATIONS AND KEY TAKEAWAYS
2.1. Recommendations
2.2. Key Takeaways
3. 6G TIMELINE AND GENERAL REVIEW
3.1. Time to Market
3.2. Focus on 5G
3.3. VIsion of 6G
4. POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGIES
4.1. Potential 6G Applications
4.2. Key Technologies and Standardization For 6G
5. OTHER CONCERNS AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
5.1. Electronic Circuit Processing Concerns
5.2. Security and Privacy Challenges
5.3. Current Development Activities
6. CONCLUSION
