Can 6G "skip" the development of 5G? Experts: 5G is the foundation for the development of 6G

Since the beginning of this year, South Korea, Japan and other countries have successively released their outlooks on the sixth generation of mobile communication technology (6G), striving to accelerate the layout in the 6G field. Academics predict that 6G should be several times or even hundreds of times better than 5G in many key indicators. Are some countries looking forward to 6G research and development intending to "skip" the 5G stage? Experts believe that it is difficult to "skip" the development of mobile communication technology. At present, 6G is still in the pre-research stage and needs 5G technology to lay a "foundation".

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Many countries are stepping up their 6G deployment

The data transmission rate of 6G may reach 50 times that of 5G, and the latency is shortened to one tenth of 5G. It is far superior to 5G in terms of peak rate, latency, traffic density, connection density, mobility, spectrum efficiency, positioning capability, etc. In recent years, South Korea, Japan, Finland, and the United States have all begun to deploy.

6G is the forward-looking focus of South Korean telecommunications companies. Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics both established 6G research centers in 2019. Yonhap News Agency reported that Samsung Electronics released the white paper "Next Generation Hyperconnected Experience" on July 14 this year, expounding on the 6G vision and reflecting its willingness to accelerate technology research and development to seize the commanding heights of competition. The South Korean industry predicts that the standardization of 6G technology will be launched in 2025, put into commercial use in 2028, and officially provide services in 2030. The white paper predicts that thanks to 6G technology, services such as ultra-realistic extended reality and high-fidelity mobile holographic display will be available.

Japan has also begun seeking to gain an advantage in the 6G field. On April 8 this year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan announced the strategic goal of establishing the main 6G technologies in the country by 2025, hoping to realize the practical application of 6G by 2030 and build a world-leading development environment through tax incentives and other measures. In addition, Japan plans to establish a new organization centered on the Japan Institute of Information and Communications Technology for the cooperation of enterprises, governments and universities to try to lead the discussion on the formulation of 6G international standards.

Finland, which has Nokia, a well-known company in the communications field, started 6G pre-research earlier. In 2018, Nokia Bell Labs, the University of Oulu, the Finnish National Technical Research Center, and others announced a collaboration to implement the "6 Genesis - Wireless Intelligent Society and Ecosystem Supporting 6G" project. It is reported that the project will receive more than 250 million euros in research and development funds in the next eight years. In June this year, the University of Oulu released a 6G development white paper covering 6G and multiple fields such as edge intelligence and machine learning.

Some research institutions in the United States are also committed to promoting 6G research and development. The National Science Foundation's "Spectrum Innovation Program" advocates the establishment of a national wireless spectrum research center, with the goal of going beyond technologies such as 5G and "developing a development path to ensure that the United States plays a leading role in wireless technologies, systems and applications in future science and engineering through the effective use and sharing of radio spectrum". In 2019, the Federal Communications Commission approved the use of spectrum above 95GHz for experiments, that is, opening up the "terahertz" spectrum for 6G network services to help innovators test new products and services.

Some believe that the Starlink project, advocated by Elon Musk, founder of Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, can use low-orbit satellites in outer space to provide broadband services to users on the ground. Similar integrated deployment of communications between the earth and the sky may help the development of 6G in the United States in the future.

Expert: 5G is the "foundation" for the development of 6G

Some countries may try to skip 5G deployment, where their technology is not superior, and directly implement 6G, thus "leapfrogging" development. However, most experts believe that this is "basically unlikely" because since the first generation of mobile communication technology (1G), the development of each generation of mobile communication technology has relied on the evolution of the previous generation of core technology and the introduction of emerging revolutionary technologies.

Dr. Hu Guoqing, leader of the 5G research team at the Shenzhen Institute of Peking University, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency that the future commercialized 6G network will inevitably be based on the existing 5G core technology and undergo a deep evolution, while introducing emerging technologies such as terahertz communication and integrated air, space, sea and land networks. This means that it is almost unrealistic to skip the 5G "foundation" and directly build the 6G "building".

He said that the US Starlink project can only serve as a supplement to 5G. Due to the high cost of satellites, limited bandwidth, and signal transmission being easily affected by atmospheric conditions, even if it is built in the future, it can only serve as a supplement in areas that 5G cannot cover, such as oceans, deserts, and uninhabited areas. It cannot bypass 5G, let alone pose a competitive threat to 5G in areas already covered by 5G.