Before reading this article, please read:

5G-A General Course Lesson 1 | Why Do We Need 5G-A

5G-A General Course Lesson 2 | What Does 5G-A Have More Than 5G

5G-A General Course Lesson 3 | Both a Base Station and a Radar

The "5G-A General Course" is an original 5G-A general education course created by me. All lessons are free. If you find it helpful, I hope you can like, view, or share the article to your friends on social media. More reads are definitely my motivation to continue updating. Of course, direct donations are also welcome.

The previous three articles basically covered the new capabilities added by 5G-A compared to 5G, including 3CC, RedCap, and integrated sensing and communication.

Since 5G-A, as a transitional technology between 5G and 6G, is already so impressive, achieving 5Gbps download speeds, supporting the Internet of Things, and realizing radar tracking functions, what else can 6G offer?

Before answering this question, it is important to clarify that all news claiming to have achieved 6G on the market can be considered fake news or trying to piggyback on hot topics.

As mentioned in Lesson 1, mobile communication technology standards such as 3G, 4G, and 5G are all formulated by an organization called 3GPP under the guidance of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Since 5G is not yet fully evolved, 3GPP is still working on 5G's upgrade version, and the 6G standard is still in its infancy. There are only some concepts of 6G's basic requirements, and 3GPP has not yet officially started formulating the 6G standard. It is expected that the 6G standard will be launched around 2030.

Therefore, if any company claims to be using 6G, it is either exaggerating or being misrepresented by the media. Mobile communication technology standards have never been developed by a single company but are always formulated collectively by members of 3GPP.

For example, the following news that spread widely a while ago: The Japanese technology media INTERNET Watch reported that several Japanese telecommunication companies jointly announced the development of the world's first high-speed 6G wireless device, with a data transmission speed of up to 100Gbps.

Doesn't it sound impressive? After all, the maximum speed of 5G-A can only reach 5Gbps, which is dozens of times faster than 5G!

But in reality, by reading the original news, you can find that the so-called 100Gbps speed was achieved in a laboratory environment, using millimeter-wave bands to accumulate large bandwidths, and over an unobstructed distance of several tens of meters.

Apart from using millimeter-wave large bandwidth, this so-called "6G" base station did not use any new technologies improved compared to 5G.

In other words, this is a 5G base station equipment using millimeter-wave large bandwidth for data transmission.

The reason for achieving such a high transmission rate is entirely due to the use of millimeter waves. The higher the frequency band of electromagnetic waves, the shorter the transmission distance but the larger the available bandwidth. Millimeter waves have a frequency over 100 times higher than the 4G and 5G electromagnetic waves used in existing networks, belonging to a relatively "chicken rib" frequency band. In other words, this frequency band is hardly used because the achievable coverage distance is too short.

Therefore, using very clean millimeter waves that are rarely used, it is indeed possible to achieve data transmission with bandwidths dozens of times higher than the existing 5G frequency bands, naturally achieving transmission rates dozens of times faster than 5G. However, once leaving the laboratory environment, the application scenarios for millimeter-wave base stations are very limited.

In conclusion, this news is a typical fake news about 6G. It can be considered a verification of the technical and equipment capabilities explored for 6G, but it is definitely not 6G.

If 6G is only about achieving several times the transmission rate compared to 5G, it would indeed be quite boring. After all, there are no applications that match 5G's speed yet. What's the point of having download speeds of hundreds of Gbps?

Therefore, the upgrade of 6G compared to 5G must focus on other aspects besides speed.

In June last year, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) released the "IMT-2030 Framework and Overall Objectives for Future Development." Among them, IMT-2030 is ITU's official name for 6G.

IMT (International Mobile Telecommunications) is the abbreviation of International Mobile Telecommunications. IMT-XXX is ITU's official designation for mobile communication technology, where XXX is generally a number representing the expected year of commercialization of this generation of mobile communication technology.

For example, the official name of 5G is IMT-2020 (the new generation of international mobile communication technology expected to be commercialized around 2020).

In this proposal, ITU described the framework for 6G development, including envisioned usage scenarios and related capabilities.

ITU envisioned six major application scenarios for 6G:

First, immersive communication. 6G networks will support XR communication (such as Apple's Vision Pro) and potentially immersive holographic interactive communication in the future. Specifically, imagine the protagonist in a science fiction movie gesturing towards an interface in the air.

Second, ultra-reliable and low-latency communication. High reliability means high data transmission accuracy and security, while low latency means low data transmission delay (which is also a target for 5G and is currently being pursued). It can support the transmission of production equipment information and remote medical care in various highly demanding industrial scenarios.

Third, massive communication. It is essentially an upgraded version of 5G-A RedCap, supporting IoT device communication with higher rates and larger access scales compared to 5G RedCap. A typical application scenario is the large-scale sensor access in smart cities.

Fourth, ubiquitous connectivity. 6G will further enhance deep coverage and ultra-long-distance coverage capabilities through integration with satellite communication and other communication methods, achieving full coverage in uninhabited areas, remote mountain villages, etc.

Fifth, the integration of artificial intelligence and communication. On one hand, 6G networks will integrate artificial intelligence for intelligent operation and maintenance. On the other hand, 6G will also become the underlying network for massive data transmission required by artificial intelligence, namely the computing network.

Sixth, integrated sensing and communication. 6G will achieve an upgrade of 5G-A's integrated sensing and communication technology. 6G's sensing capabilities will be further expanded to meet various needs such as autonomous driving, gesture recognition, fall detection, and environmental change monitoring.

In conclusion, ITU has painted a big picture for 6G. Under 6G's ambitious blueprint, while transmission rate is important, it is only one of the less significant factors in its capabilities set. In comparison, the connection density, latency, artificial intelligence capabilities, sensing capabilities, and data transmission reliability mentioned in the figure below are the key points.

But how to achieve these capabilities? Sorry, it's not decided yet, so let's take our time to research.

Therefore, 6G has much bigger ambitions compared to 5G. 6G is no longer content with just being a network but aims to become the core infrastructure in the future AI-centric digital society. Whether it's artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, smart factories, or holographic interaction, 6G will be the network of choice.

However, the evolution of networks cannot happen overnight. As you can see from my previous descriptions, the new capabilities added by 5G-A have already partially realized 6G's vision. Therefore, fully validating application scenarios on 5G-A is actually paving the way for the arrival of future 6G networks. Deploying 5G-A on a large scale is also helping Chinese technology companies seize the initiative in 6G.

Finally, let's summarize. There have always been criticisms of 5G or 5G-A in society, but mobile communication technology has never been the protagonist of technological progress. Rather, it is the stage on which actors (internet companies, technology companies) can perform. We should look forward to the brilliant performances of the actors rather than constantly criticizing the stage. Without the gradual expansion of the mobile communication stage, there would not have been the rise of mobile internet giants or the convenient lives we enjoy today.

Therefore, no matter how you feel, as long as ITU and 3GPP exist, they will continue to promote the advancement of mobile communication technology generation after generation. What mobile communication technology will bring in the future is indeed unpredictable. Instead of criticism, it is better to embrace technological progress with a more open mindset.

The "5G-A General Course" has come to an end here. When I first started writing this series of articles, I had no expectations for it. After all, in this era, people can spend 2 hours watching short videos, and most people can't even last 5 minutes reading public articles, especially a science popularization article that has to be written in several parts. It was almost certain that no one would be willing to read it.

And indeed, the dismal hundreds of reads for the first article almost made me give up. But then I thought about my original intention for creating this public account, which was to output something valuable. Low reads are fine.

It turns out that the recommendation mechanism on WeChat's public platform is really amazing. Despite almost no reads from my subscribers, it somehow pushed my three articles to over 10,000 reads.

So, in conclusion, your likes, views, and shares will help increase my chances of being recommended. My public account has no advertisements or paid articles. I even haven't enabled in-text advertising to avoid affecting everyone's reading experience. I don't care about making a profit; I just want some reads to give me more motivation to write. Is that okay?