Top five questions about 6G technology

文章：Jessy Cavazos，Keysight Technologies

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.

本文回答了围绕6G的一些最常见的问题，并为6G的愿景及其如何实现这些关键目标提供了更多的了解。

1. What is 6G?

6G是第六代无线通信标准，用于将成功的5G成功。不过，研究界并不期望6G技术会取代前几代。相反，他们将共同努力，提供改善我们生活的解决方案。

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.

The first area of improvement is speed. In theory, 5G can achieve a peak data rate of 20Gbps even though the highest speeds recorded in tests so far are around 8Gbps. In 6G, as we move to higher frequencies—above 100GHz—the goal peak data rate will be 1,000Gbps (1 Tbps), enabling use cases like volumetric video and enhanced virtual reality experiences.

实际上，we have already demonstratedan over-the-air transmission at 310GHz with speeds topping 150Gbps.

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技术将通过增强的连接使明天的物联网实现。当今的5G可以处理每平方公里（或0.38平方英里）同时连接的100万个设备，但6G将使该数字跃升至1000万。

2. Who will use 6G technology and what are the use cases?

我们开始看到更多machine-to-machi的转变ne 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.

除了最终用户更快的浏览速度之外，我们还可以期望沉浸式和触觉体验可以增强人类通信。爱立信，例如，预测“感官互联网”的出现，这种感觉像是在数字上感觉到的感觉或风味。根据一个下一代移动网络联盟（NGMN）报告, holographic telepresence and volumetric video—think of it as video in 3D—will also be a use case.

这就是为了使虚拟，混合和增强现实成为我们日常生活的一部分。

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.

NGMN报告预计6G网络将启用超准确的本地化和跟踪。这可能会带来进步，例如允许无人机和机器人运送商品和管理制造厂，改善数字保健和远程健康监控以及增强数字双胞胎的使用。

Digital twin development 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.我们需要实现6G？

新的视野要求提供新技术。在边缘计算，人工智能（AI），机器学习（ML），网络切片等领域，6G将大大受益于5G，但需要更改以符合新的技术要求。

最明智的需求是了解如何在子Terahertz频率中工作。5G需要在24.25GHz至52.6GHz的毫米波（MMWave）中运行，以实现其全部潜力，但下一代移动连接可能会在称为Sub-Terahertz的范围内移动到100 GHz以上的频率，并可能具有高度的高度作为真正的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– thing 10s to 100s of feet not 1000s.

But 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 can build networks from the ground up that are designed to work natively with these technologies.

根据一个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.

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 likeedge computing将来会越来越普遍。

4. 6G技术是否可持续？

Sustainability is at the core of every conversation in the telecommunications sector today. 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负责4克二氧化碳in the atmosphere.

However,6G technologyis 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.

此外，研究人员将可持续性放在其6G项目的中心。使用新材料之类的组件等组件应降低功耗。最终，我们希望下一代移动连接能够帮助实现United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals。

5.什么时候可以使用6G？

该行业共识是，第三代合作项目（3GPP）标准发布将在2030年完成。最早可以在2028年的试验中证明6G技术的早期版本，重复我们以前看到的10年周期几代人。这就是下一个G联盟公开的愿景，这是一项北美倡议，Keysight是创始成员，以促进美国和加拿大的6G开发。

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.

ITU和3GPP是最著名的标准化机构之一，并持有工作组，以评估全球6G的研究。。

好消息？电信部门正在快速迈向下一个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.

About the Author

杰西·卡瓦佐斯（Jessy Cavazos）于2019年1月加入Keysight，重点是5G。在此之前，杰西（Jessy）是弗罗斯特（Frost＆Sullivan）的测试与测量实践行业总监，已有15年以上的历史。杰西（Jessy）撰写了许多市场研究，突出了关键机会和破坏性趋势，并已在行业领先的出版物中发表。杰西（Jessy）拥有位于法国鲁恩（Rouen）的Internationale Institut de Internationale的国际商业学士学位，现在是Neoma商学院的一部分。