SPOTLIGHT 6G
Are we ready for 6G wireless communication?
As progress in the broader rollout of 5G continues, Charles Schroeder, Business and Technology Fellow at NI, asks why we are even talking about 6G
T
he Network 2030 Focus Group of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has already started working
on a vision for 6G, much in the way it set targets for 5G in the IMT-2020 standard. Throughput, reliability, coverage, latency, energy, cost and massive connectivity are grouped into three 5G setups: enhanced mobile broadband, massive machine type communications and ultra-reliable, low-latency communications. Building on these vectors, 6G is expected to enable new applications, such as holographic-type communications for a totally interactive 3D experience and Tactile Internet for real-time remote activity with audio, visual and haptic feedback – all of which require sensing and data analysis in real time. There are four technologies likely to deliver on these:
1. Joint communication and sensing Autonomous vehicles, for example, have incredibly-advanced sensing systems that fuse data from a variety of cameras, lidar and radar sensors using machine-learning algorithms. These vehicles depend on cellular networks for streaming infotainment, environment and performance data, and vehicle-to-everything communications. Communications technologies such as orthogonal frequency- division multiplexing (OFDM) waveforms or multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) phased arrays will improve their results.
2. Sub-Terahertz bands Due to enormous demand for more data bandwidth, researchers are exploring underutilised spectrum in the sub-THz frequency bands, between 90GHz and 300GHz, which will provide many times the amount of spectrum currently used for cellular communications. The 3GPP has already identifi ed 21.2GHz above 100GHz as a potential 6G frequency. At these frequencies signal path loss is a major concern, but researchers are working on fi nding ways to mitigate it by matching a frequency band’s attenuation properties with appropriate applications, and with
8 October 2021 | Automation
antenna geometry and spacing. 3. MIMO
Building on popular multi-antenna techniques, MIMO promises potential benefi ts across many diff erent applications and frequency bands. Whilst beamforming is key to overcoming sub-THz pathloss challenges, multi-user MIMO improves spectral effi ciency for the heavily-used sub-8GHz bands. In these bands, where antenna size becomes excessively large, distributed MIMO is especially interesting. This technique disaggregates the large antenna arrays into multiple, geographically- separated radio heads that are much smaller. The expansion of MIMO aims to increase cell capacity and provide improved location services.
4. AI/ML Artifi cial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are the fourth technology that plays a signifi cant role in 6G. With increasing complexity, the aim of squeezing every bit of bandwidth from the available spectrum becomes a key focus. However, with traditional signal-processing approaches, it is becoming increasingly diffi cult to optimise the communications system. One way of dealing with this complexity is to use machine learning. AI/ML-driven design or adaptation to optimise link performance dynamically can provide improvements in areas such as beam management, automatic spectrum allocation and RF non-ideality cancellation. The use of the AI/ML at the application layer allows the optimisation
of quality of service (QoS) for factors like latency or energy effi ciency that take into consideration application-specifi c requirements together with the environment. The availability of large, open datasets for wireless communications research and training of AI/ML algorithms will play a major role in 6G development.
Is there one main 6G application? Whilst all of these 6G-enabling technologies off er a variety of opportunities, they will inevitably live or die by the business case. Developing and deploying these technologies is expensive; billions of dollars of investment requires large projected profi ts, and the key question is: What is the killer app? We have relied on connectivity and virtual experiences throughout the recent global events, and many of us have a new appreciation for a reliable, high- speed network. In addition to technology buzzwords like immersive extended reality (XR) and key performance indicators such as 1Tb/s data rates, 6G discussions are beginning to include social and sustainable goals like connectivity for all. As we work to develop 5G by extending it beyond enhanced mobile broadband, and as the defi nition of 6G coalesces, it could be just as important to answer these business and social questions as the technical ones.
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