6G is just around the corner … ten years away. But it is already in preliminary tests and the Japanese Department of Network Research under the National Institute of Information and Communication Technology (NICT) has announced “The first successful transfer 1 petabit per second in standard multicore sheathed fiber ».

5G still has years to work, but the technology industry will not rest 6G is looming on the horizon for the next decade. Leading Japanese mobile telecommunications operator, NTT DOCOMO; its parent company NTT; Japanese telecommunications equipment manufacturers NEC and Fujitsu; and Finnish telecommunications equipment manufacturer Nokia are tasked with conducting the first experimental tests with a new generation of mobile networks.

6G on the horizon

If the predictions come true, the performance of 6G will be really impressive with the prediction that data transfer will be 100,000 times higher than the theoretical maximum of 5G. And as they explain, with part of the existing infrastructure: “A big step towards implementing ultra-high-performance standard-sheath fiber optic connections compatible with existing short-term cabling technologies.”

Remember that a petabit is equal to a quadrillion bits of data or a million gigabits. Putting data into context, one petabit per second would match 10 million channels streamed at 8K per second. Unimaginable speed, which we expect to decrease in the real world, but it is still sci-fi. Achieving all this is associated with many challenges and will require a number of new technologies, new high frequency bands above 100 GHz and extended communication coverage.

The technology companies involved have shared the challenge, and Nokia will provide a native 6G AI air interface (access mode or connection between two stations in wireless communication). NEC and Fujitsu will provide responsible MIMO equipment increase the capacity of the communication network by simultaneously transmitting signals and separating signals received by multiple antennas.

It is expected that machine learning and artificial intelligence play a crucial role in the development of all phases of 6G networks, including design, implementation and operation. As the network evolves to support flexible, programmable cloud native deployments, network automation will be key to simplifying the management and optimization of networks that become “cognitive” in the sense that things like network location Virtualized networking features, partitioning, quality of service, Mobility management, radio resource management and spectrum sharing will rely on artificial intelligence to varying degrees.

It sounds like sci-fi, but 6G already works. DOCOMO and NTT plan to begin internal testing in 2023 and outdoor testing the following year. The new generation of mobile networks is expected to be deployed from 2030.