6G

In telecommunications, 6G is the designation for a future technical standard of a sixth-generation technology for wireless communications.

It is the planned successor to 5G (ITU-T IMT-2020), and is currently in the early stages of the standardization process, tracked by the ITU-T as IMT-2030 with the framework and overall objectives defined in recommendation ITU-R M.2160-0. Similar to previous generations of the cellular architecture, standardization bodies such as 3GPP and ETSI, as well as industry groups such as the NGMN Alliance, are expected to play a key role in its development.

Numerous companies (Airtel, Anritsu, Apple, Ericsson, Fly, Huawei, Jio, Keysight, LG, Nokia, NTT Docomo, Samsung, Vi, Xiaomi), research institutes (Technology Innovation Institute, the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre) and countries (United States, countries in the European Union, Russia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and United Arab Emirates) have shown interest in 6G networks, and are expected to contribute to this effort.

6G networks will likely be significantly faster than previous generations, thanks to further improvements in radio interface modulation and coding techniques, as well as physical-layer technologies. Proposals include a ubiquitous connectivity model which could include non-cellular access such as satellite and WiFi, precise location services, and a framework for distributed edge computing supporting more sensor networks, AR/VR and AI workloads. Other goals include network simplification and increased interoperability, lower latency, and energy efficiency. It should enable network operators to adopt flexible decentralized business models for 6G, with local spectrum licensing, spectrum sharing, infrastructure sharing, and intelligent automated management. Some have proposed that machine-learning/AI systems can be leveraged to support these functions.

The NGMN alliance have cautioned that "6G must not inherently trigger a hardware refresh of 5G RAN infrastructure", and that it must "address demonstrable customer needs". This reflects industry sentiment about the cost of the 5G rollout, and concern that certain applications and revenue streams have not lived up to expectations. 6G is expected to begin rolling out towards the end of the 2020s, but given such concerns it is not yet clear which features and improvements will be implemented first.