It’s Never Too Early To Think About 6G

May 22, 2018

The first thought that popped into your head as soon as you read this article’s headline was likely something along the lines of “Wait, I thought we were still waiting on 5G.” And that’s true: This is the year 5G deployment is finally picking up steam.

But that’s precisely why ComSenTer, a multi-university research effort into the fundamentals of what 6G might look like, is already turning its attention to the next next generation of wireless. 5G will utilize higher frequency spectrum than previous generations in order to improve data rates. Insomuch as anyone has an idea of what 6G might look like, it’s a good bet that it will take that same tack.

“It’s not clear what 6G will be,” says Sundeep Rangan, the director of NYU Wireless, one of the institutions participating in ComSenTer. “If it is the case that 6G or other communications systems can benefit from very, very high frequency transmissions, we need to start looking at that now.”

Rangan adds that, “It’s premature to say that what we’re looking at will definitely be part of 6G,” stressing that what’s being investigated now is still fundamental research.