Moving towards the next-gen 6G tech

India’s Bharat 6G Vision, a multi-crore initiative, is shaping the country’s next generation of wireless network: 6G. It promises transformative changes in data speeds of up to 1 Tbps (up from 100 Gbps on 5G), as well as applications ranging from telemedicine to smart cities to autonomous transportation, among others. The Indian telecom industry was estimated to be worth $44.43 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $69.62 billion by 2028.

What exactly is 6G?

5G became an instant hit, especially in India, with promising download speeds. It continues to grow in terms of user base with Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio fighting for their shares while VI (Vodafone Idea) is still absent. While we use 5G regularly, the telecommunications industry is already preparing for the future of mobile networks represented by 6G, which stands for sixth generation wireless technology.

To understand what exactly 6G is, it is a next-generation cellular network that uses untapped radio frequencies and AI to enable low-latency, high-speed communications delivering significantly faster speeds and increased capacity compared to its predecessor, 5G.

6G technology exploits radio frequencies and bands that were previously unavailable. This means that the old generation of devices cannot upgrade to a higher generation as this would introduce a lot of noise. As a result, older devices lack the digital coding needed to decipher next-generation networks, making them obsolete at some point.

The next generation 6G telecommunications network is theoretically 100 times faster than 5G to open the floodgates to new communications applications with bandwidths estimated at 1 Tbps to revolutionize the way we humans data and machines, let’s interact.

The introduction of 6G in India

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) launched the Bharat 6G Vision earlier this year with an action plan in place for the next nine years to launch 6G services in the country by 2030. It will be carried out in two phases from 2023 to 2023 and 2025 to 2030, respectively.

The government has invested INR 2,240 million in a new 6G test bed developed by a consortium of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). 6G promises faster speeds, better reliability and lower latency compared to current 5G networks, which is crucial for India’s digital economy.

Bharat 6G files the necessary patents to exploit 6G-related technologies. Reliance Jio collaborated with the University of Oulu (Finland) to develop 6G while IIT-K partnered with InterDigital (a mobile and video technology research company) to develop technologies that would enable future wireless standards, including 6G.

Finnish technology giant Nokia also announced the establishment of a 6G laboratory in India which will help in the development of 6G technology in India.

According to Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s Minister of Communications and IT, India has already obtained more than 127 patents for its 6G infrastructure. The ball is already rolling: India is identifying key stakeholders, understanding proof-of-concept prototypes and simulation studies, and taking the lead in establishing 6G infrastructure in the country, even as 5G takes currently forming with limited coverage in major cities. in India.

The changing Internet landscape with 6G

The introduction of 6G is expected to pave the way for a host of revolutionary applications and services. Let’s explore some of the avenues in which we will see 6G thrive.

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR): Immersive AR and VR experiences will become a reality thanks to the exceptional speeds and low latency of 6G. Imagine technology that allows you to explore the human body in a life-size model in preparation for surgery as a practitioner. With the faster, low-latency connectivity of 6G, real-time surgical procedures will also be possible.

6G-based sensors will allow users to create digital twins with all data related to weather, temperature and conditions, among others in AR, for example when it comes to building new ports and airports where researchers will be able to study all the possibilities that could arise during construction and that too in a simulated world.

Internet of Things (IoT): 6G will greatly benefit IoT devices. There are already billions of IoT devices around the world and more are being added every day capable of collecting and transmitting real-time data across various industries.

6G for autonomous transport: Tesla’s self-driving cars are among the most popular examples of autonomous to semi-autonomous modes of transportation. With 6G in place, other modes of transportation can take advantage of higher bandwidth, lower latency, and faster speeds to better process metrics and complete their processes. They can communicate with other vehicles for a traffic-free driving experience.

Smart cities: 6G capabilities will enable the development of smart cities by enabling the use of real-time data to optimize traffic flow, manage energy consumption and improve public safety.

Telemedecine : The high speeds and low latency of 6G will enable remote medical care for patients in underserved and rural areas. Digital twins of cities are being built, where city planners and other parties can make changes to understand their possible effects in real time before even building anything in the real world.

6G and features

Spectrum is an essential part of radio connections, with each network generation requiring specific bandwidth to thrive. 6G operates in the mid-bands of 7 to 20 GHz, offering greater capacity than previous generations, including northern data speeds of up to 1 Tbps. Higher data speeds result in many users accessing media services simultaneously.

Ultra-low latency is another feature that gives 6G an edge over its predecessor. Lower latency means that many delay-sensitive applications running in real time will benefit from better performance. This will make 6G 100 times more reliable than 5G.

The current, ultra-fast generation of 5G connects humans and IoT devices in many use cases. With the implementation of 6G, machine-to-machine connectivity will become widespread, with approximately 10 million connected devices per square kilometer of land area. Reliability is another perspective where 6G will shine as it will improve simultaneous transmissions, device-to-device connectivity, and multiple wireless hops, including increasing network reliability and reducing error rates.