This 6G network deployment timeframe, however, can be significantly shortened by a groundbreaking experiment that managed to prove that current 5G and even 4G LTE network equipment can hit 6G speeds as it is.
The discovery used the so-called “semantic communication,” a smart system for relaying meaning, not only data, via existing network infrastructure. The novel system drastically increased transmission efficiency and reduced the data processing costs.
So much so, that the network marked a 10x increase in the main transfer metrics like capacity, coverage, and efficiency, closing in on the range promised to be achieved by the move to the 6G standard.
The sixth-generation wireless technology is expected to revolutionize communication by offering data transmission speeds up to 50 times faster than 5G, and low latency.
While the United States and nine other countries outlined a series of guidelines for 6G communication systems earlier this year, the focus was on building a safe communication technology that prioritizes national security.
China, on the other hand, already aims to make 6G commercially available by 2030, with its take on the 6G standard expected to be finalized next year. Japan also wants to finish work on the standard in 2025, then make “beyond 5G” communication services available in collaboration with carriers like NTT Docomo and companies like Sony starting from 2030.
If all these plans could be done with the present infrastructure, and on the cheap with the semantic communication breakthrough, those deadlines are likely to be significantly shortened.