Beyond 5G – Is it time to start thinking about 6G?

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iis.fraunhofer.de, Nov. 23, 2020 – 

Although 5G is ushering in massive improvements in the capacity of mobile networks, there is still room for further advances in mobile communications. With this in mind, future-conscious researchers have already started working on the 6G standard. One of the major advantages of the new standard will be the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), allowing the network to adapt flexibly to changing requirements. In our interview, Bernhard Niemann explains why Fraunhofer IIS is conducting research into 6G, what benefits the future standard will bring, and what technical challenges the researchers will need to overcome.

Mr. Niemann, the 5G standard is yet to be fully defined, but you're already conducting research into 6G. What's the rationale for beginning work on the successor standard now?

The standardization of 5G is in full swing, the frequencies are being auctioned off, and rollout is getting underway around the world. In major cities, the first 5G networks have been activated and are available for use. This is usually the point at which those of us in the research community start to turn our minds to a successor standard.

Some initial research projects are therefore looking at issues relating to technology drivers and possible use cases for 6G. It's also expected that 3GPP standardization activities will begin in 2024 with a view to having the 6th generation of mobile communications actually available in the field in 2030. For us, as an application-oriented research institute, now is therefore the perfect time to immerse ourselves in the development of the successor to 5G.

Are you in a position to say anything about the potential new applications of the 6th generation of mobile network technology? And what about the benefits we can look forward to with 6G?

As with all previous generations of mobile network technology, 6G will obviously be a logical next step in the development of the existing standard while also offering completely new capabilities. This next step will include things like a further increase in data rate and connection density. In other words, 6G will be able to...

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