By 2025, the future of 6G network is set to revolutionize connectivity through the seamless integration of AI and edge computing, enhancing user experiences like never before. With ultra-low latency and significantly increased bandwidth, the future of 6G network will enable immersive experiences such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), transforming entertainment, education, and communication.
In the realm of communication, 6G will redefine remote work, enabling real-time collaboration in virtual environments that mimic offline interactions. Enhanced connectivity will empower organizations to leverage AI-driven tools, optimizing workflows and productivity across dispersed teams.
The IoT landscape will also experience significant transformation, with billions of devices seamlessly communicating in real-time, thanks to 6G’s advanced capabilities. This integration will support smarter cities, more efficient transportation systems, and improved healthcare solutions, ultimately leading to enhanced quality of life.
Overall, 6G will act as a catalyst for innovation, fostering a highly interconnected, intelligent ecosystem driven by AI and edge computing, while redefining how we communicate, work, and interact with the world around us.
Introducing the cyber-physical continuum
6G will make it possible to move freely in the cyber-physical continuum, between the connected physical world of senses, actions and experiences, and its programmable digital representation.
The future of the 6G network encompasses the metaverse as traditionally defined – a digital space where avatars interact in VR/AR environments – and extends beyond that, offering a deeper connection to reality. In the future of the 6G network, it will be possible to project digital objects onto physical objects that are digitally represented, enabling them to merge as a seamless reality and enhance the physical world.
Future networks will be a fundamental component for the functioning of virtually all parts of life, society, and industries, fulfilling the communication needs of humans as well as intelligent machines. As accelerating automatization and digitalization continue to simplify people’s lives, the emerging cyber-physical continuum will continuously improve efficiency and ensure the sustainable use of resources.
Countless sensors will be embedded in the physical world to send data to update the digital representation in real time. Meanwhile, functions programmed in the digital representation will be carried out by actuators in the physical world. The purpose of the 6G network platform is to provide intelligence, ever-present connectivity and full synchronization to this emerging reality.
Read the latest white paper: Co-creating a cyber-physical world. Source: ericsson.com
What will the world be like with 6G?
We envision a connected and sustainable physical world that is both digitalized and programmable, where humans are supported by intelligent machines and the Internet of Senses.
Examples of important 6G use cases include e-health for all, precision health care, smart agriculture, earth monitor, digital twins, cobots and robot navigation. These use cases can be sorted into three broad use case scenarios: the Internet of Senses, connected intelligent machines, and a connected sustainable world.
In the future of the 6G network, the immersive communication will provide a complete telepresence experience, eliminating distance as a barrier to interaction. Extended reality (XR) with human-grade sensory feedback demands high data rates, spatial mapping with precise positioning, and low latency through edge cloud processing. One example will be the widespread use of mixed reality in public transport, offering tailored virtual experiences for each passenger, allowing them to complete virtual tasks, receive XR guidance, and enjoy games overlaid on the physical world.
Personal immersive devices capable of precise body interaction will allow access to experiences and actions far away to better support human communication needs. At the same time, 6G networks will also add completely new communication modes with strict control over access and identities.
Ready to create the future?
Connecting the digital and physical worlds will require countless sensors that send data to update the digital representation in real time. Actuators in the real world will carry out functions that are programmed in the digital representation. The 6G network platform will provide intelligence, ever-present connectivity and full synchronization in a cyber-physical continuum. The result? Full support for connected intelligent machines, the Internet of Senses, and a connected sustainable world.
6G roadmap: Growing from 5G to 6G
There is not yet a detailed roadmap for 6G, but based on several years of research, pre-standardization work is now starting. Research into new technology areas for 6G will then continue in parallel with the evolution of 5G. Learnings from live 5G networks and interactions with the user ecosystems will continuously feed into the research, standardization and development of 6G.
Evolution and long-term horizon – 5G Advanced and 6G
6G will build on the strengths of 5G, but it will also provide entirely new technology solutions. Around 2030 is a reasonable time frame to expect the very first 6G networks to appear.
By the time the future of the 6G network arrives, society will have been shaped by 5G for a decade, with valuable lessons learned from its deployment and new needs and services emerging. Despite the flexibility built into 5G, the need for expanded capabilities will be evident. This will drive further evolution, responding to societal demands and the availability of more advanced technological tools, paving the way for the 6G era when it arrives.
5G New Radio (NR) and 5G Core (5GC) evolution is continuing in 3GPP toward 5G Advanced, to ensure the success of 5G systems globally and to expand the usage of 3GPP technology by supporting different use cases and verticals. AI/ML will play an important role in 5G Advanced systems, in addition to other technology components, to provide support for extended reality (XR), reduced capability (RedCap) devices, and network energy efficiency.
While Ericsson 5G networks already support AI/ML and XR use cases and requirements in an energy-efficient manner, it is essential to enhance the 5G standards to improve multi-vendor support and provide better device and network cooperation. The 5G Advanced standardization is an important step in the evolution of cellular wireless access toward 6G.
The improved capabilities of 5G Advanced, including enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC), and massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), are key stepping stones that pave the way toward the future of the 6G network.
Source: ericsson.com
6G network capabilities
To serve as the platform for a vast range of new and evolving services, the capabilities of wireless access networks need to be enhanced and extended in various dimensions. This includes classic capabilities, such as achievable data rates, latency, and system capacity, but also new capabilities, some of which may be more qualitative in nature.
6G network capabilities
To serve as the platform for a vast range of new and evolving services, the capabilities of wireless access networks need to be enhanced and extended in various dimensions. This includes classic capabilities, such as achievable data rates, latency, and system capacity, but also new capabilities, some of which may be more qualitative in nature.
Higher achievable data rates and lower latency
6G networks will need to enable higher achievable data rates and lower latency in all relevant scenarios. This includes the possibility to provide several hundred gigabits per second and end-to-end sub-millisecond latency in specific scenarios. Equally or perhaps even more important is the possibility to provide high-speed connectivity with predictably low latency and a low jitter rate.
Find out why sub-terahertz communication could be a key complement to 6G, unleashing extreme speeds for specific, high demanding scenarios.
Spectrum and dense networks
6G networks should be able to serve an exponentially growing traffic demand in a cost-efficient way. Higher spectral efficiency of basic radio access technology is one component of this, with access to additional spectrum naturally being another. Even more important, though, is enabling the possibility for the truly cost-efficient deployment of very dense networks.
Read more in this blogpost: Realizing the 6G vision – Why is spectrum fundamental?
Access for everyone and everything
There is also a need to continue the expansion of wireless communication toward full global coverage – closing the digital divide for remote areas – while supporting a dramatically higher number of devices that will be embedded throughout society. A critical component of this is to ensure that the overall cost for both users and service providers is at a sustainable level.
Extreme energy performance
High network energy performance was an important requirement in the development of 5G, and it will be even more important for future wireless access solutions. It is critical that the expected massive increase in traffic will not lead to a corresponding increase in energy usage. An acceleration in traffic should not mean accelerated energy usage. Also, the energy usage should be close to zero when there is no traffic within a node.
Resilience, security and trustworthiness
As wireless networks increasingly become critical components of society, resilience and security capabilities are crucial. The networks must be able to provide service when part of the infrastructure is disabled due to natural disasters, local disturbances, or societal breakdowns, and they must offer robust resistance against deliberate malicious attacks.
In terms of trustworthiness, the networks should be able to leverage new confidential computing technologies, improve service availability, and provide enhanced security identities and protocols with end-to-end assurance.
Dependable compute and AI integration
The future of the 6G network will require dependable compute and AI integration, infrastructure that supports the rapid development and deployment of distributed applications and network functions, and services for data and compute acceleration, all delivered across the network with performance guarantees.
High-precision positioning
6G will support of the use of interactive 4D maps of whole cities that are precise in position and time and can be simultaneously accessed and modified by large numbers of humans and intelligent machines for detailed planning of activities. Such cyber-physical service platforms can issue commands to large-scale steerable systems, like public transport, waste handling, or water and heating management systems, achieving higher levels of resource efficiency, better control and increased resilience.
Sensing capabilities
Sensing will be used for tasks such as modeling an environment, detecting road traffic and setting off an alarm when a person enters a restricted area in a factory hall. 6G networks will need to use radio resources efficiently for both communication and sensing. Scalable mechanisms for distributing the results, AI-based interpretation of results, and security mechanisms to ensure the privacy of the information are also needed.
Foundations of 6G: Bridging the cyber-physical divide
The future of the 6G network will integrate core elements into one seamless system, providing all the necessary capabilities to enable intelligent communication in a cyber-physical world. Built on trustworthy systems and a highly efficient compute fabric with cognitive abilities, future networks will offer limitless connectivity for emerging applications and services. This will establish 6G as a broad platform for innovation and the information backbone of society, driving the creation of a fully digitalized and programmable physical world.
Learn more on digitalized programmable physical world
Source: ericsson.com
6G technologies
Examples of the types of technology that will be needed to deliver 6G use cases include zero-energy sensors and actuators; next-generation AR glasses, contact lenses and haptics; and advanced edge computing and spatial mapping technologies. From our perspective at Ericsson, we have determined that creating the 6G networks of 2030 will require major technological advancements in four key areas: limitless connectivity, trustworthy systems, cognitive networks and network compute fabric.
The concept of limitless connectivity includes extreme performance and coverage (including joint communication and sensing), enhanced end-to-end connectivity, network adaptability, embedded devices everywhere.
A secure, resilient, and privacy-preserving network platform is a cornerstone in supporting the most demanding society, mission and business critical use cases with proven performance, under harsh conditions, in a verifiable way.
By taking advantage of machine learning and machine reasoning, cognitive networks will use knowledge gathered in the past to solve new types of problems without involving humans in the loop.
The network compute fabric goes beyond edge computing to fuse connectivity and computing capabilities and create a unified entity for both.
The concept of limitless connectivity includes extreme performance and coverage (including joint communication and sensing), enhanced end-to-end connectivity, network adaptability, embedded devices everywhere.
A secure, resilient, and privacy-preserving network platform is a cornerstone in supporting the most demanding society, mission and business critical use cases with proven performance, under harsh conditions, in a verifiable way.
By taking advantage of machine learning and machine reasoning, cognitive networks will use knowledge gathered in the past to solve new types of problems without involving humans in the loop.
The network compute fabric goes beyond edge computing to fuse connectivity and computing capabilities and create a unified entity for both.
The concept of limitless connectivity includes extreme performance and coverage (including joint communication and sensing), enhanced end-to-end connectivity, network adaptability, embedded devices everywhere.
A secure, resilient, and privacy-preserving network platform is a cornerstone in supporting the most demanding society, mission and business critical use cases with proven performance, under harsh conditions, in a verifiable way.
By taking advantage of machine learning and machine reasoning, cognitive networks will use knowledge gathered in the past to solve new types of problems without involving humans in the loop.
The network compute fabric goes beyond edge computing to fuse connectivity and computing capabilities and create a unified entity for both.
6G spectrum
To meet evolving capacity demands and enable envisioned 6G use cases – such as holographic communication, integrated sensing, and omnipresent IoT – will require deeper evolution of the spectrum blueprint. This includes redefining today’s spectrum grid, but also exploring new frequency bands in the crucial centimetric wave (cmWave) range and complementary sub-terahertz (sub-THz) range.
Learn more on our 6G spectrum page.
Source: ericsson.com
6G technologies
The future of the 6G network will rely on technologies such as zero-energy sensors and actuators, next-generation AR glasses, contact lenses, and haptics, as well as advanced edge computing and spatial mapping technologies. From Ericsson’s perspective, building the 6G networks of 2030 will demand significant advancements in four key areas: limitless connectivity, trustworthy systems, cognitive networks, and network compute fabric.
The concept of limitless connectivity includes extreme performance and coverage (including joint communication and sensing), enhanced end-to-end connectivity, network adaptability, embedded devices everywhere.
A secure, resilient, and privacy-preserving network platform is a cornerstone in supporting the most demanding society, mission and business critical use cases with proven performance, under harsh conditions, in a verifiable way.
By taking advantage of machine learning and machine reasoning, cognitive networks will use knowledge gathered in the past to solve new types of problems without involving humans in the loop.
The network compute fabric goes beyond edge computing to fuse connectivity and computing capabilities and create a unified entity for both.
The concept of limitless connectivity includes extreme performance and coverage (including joint communication and sensing), enhanced end-to-end connectivity, network adaptability, embedded devices everywhere.
A secure, resilient, and privacy-preserving network platform is a cornerstone in supporting the most demanding society, mission and business critical use cases with proven performance, under harsh conditions, in a verifiable way.
By taking advantage of machine learning and machine reasoning, cognitive networks will use knowledge gathered in the past to solve new types of problems without involving humans in the loop.
The network compute fabric goes beyond edge computing to fuse connectivity and computing capabilities and create a unified entity for both.
The concept of limitless connectivity includes extreme performance and coverage (including joint communication and sensing), enhanced end-to-end connectivity, network adaptability, embedded devices everywhere.
A secure, resilient, and privacy-preserving network platform is a cornerstone in supporting the most demanding society, mission and business critical use cases with proven performance, under harsh conditions, in a verifiable way.
By taking advantage of machine learning and machine reasoning, cognitive networks will use knowledge gathered in the past to solve new types of problems without involving humans in the loop.
The network compute fabric goes beyond edge computing to fuse connectivity and computing capabilities and create a unified entity for both.
6G spectrum
To meet evolving capacity demands and enable envisioned 6G use cases – such as holographic communication, integrated sensing, and omnipresent IoT – will require deeper evolution of the spectrum blueprint. This includes redefining today’s spectrum grid, but also exploring new frequency bands in the crucial centimetric wave (cmWave) range and complementary sub-terahertz (sub-THz) range.
Learn more on our 6G spectrum page.
Source: ericsson.com
6G security
High-trust cyber-physical systems connecting humans and intelligent machines require extreme reliability and resilience, precise positioning and sensing, and low-latency communication. This places high demands on 6G security capabilities, but also on its ability to provide assurance that the required capabilities are in place. 6G networks must give this assurance to users and operators – in deployment as well as during operation – in the form of security awareness and resilience. On the personal level, 6G security capabilities must respect privacy and personal data ownership in a connected world. It must be powerful and yet easy to adapt to users’ preferences.
Sustainability: A cornerstone of 6G development
Building a sustainable world requires huge efforts throughout society, with networks ensuring digital inclusion on a global scale. This includes diverse elements, such as the support of smart automation services everywhere on the planet, connectivity for global sensors monitoring the statuses of forests and oceans, resource-efficient connected agriculture, access to digital personal healthcare for everyone, and access to high-end services for institutions such as schools and hospitals everywhere.
Through the global, end-to-end life-cycle tracking of goods, autonomous supply chains can accelerate a full circular resource economy. Digital-asset tracking can reduce waste and automatize recycling. Taken together, this requires truly global coverage with excellent energy-, material-, and cost- efficiency, embedded autonomous devices and sensors, and a network platform with high availability and security.
6G Research Collaboration
Ericsson has a long history of actively contributing to standards development and leading various forums. We strongly believe that the early phase of research for the future of the 6G network should be precompetitive, fostering close collaboration with academia and industry, and resulting in openly available published outcomes. The initial momentum from these efforts is supported by the patient backing of government funding agencies for both academic and private-sector research.
Now in the pre-standards phase, companies choose to champion certain basic technologies and further tune them. Some of these technologies will become part of the 6G standard contributions, some will become proprietary product solutions.
Among the research collaboration projects Ericsson is and has been involved in can be mentioned:
In Europe:Hexa-X II,Hexa-X,6G IA,6G-ANNA,TUDOR
In the US theNext G Alliance
In India6G Bharat Alliance
In ChinaIMT-2030
Augmented Reality
NTT DOCOMO, Japan’s leading mobile operator with over 86 million subscriptions, is one of the world’s foremost contributors to 3G, 4G and 5G mobile network technologies and beyond.
Source: technologymagazine.com
Previous commercial wireless generations have been deployed and operated predominantly by dedicated Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) whose primary business function is deployment and operation of such networks.
Source: ntia.gov
While the 6G network will take advantage of 5G’s existing infrastructure, it differentiates itself by using ultra-high radio frequencies to carry more data at faster speeds, and it will have built-in artificial intelligence with machine learning too. 6G is the sixth generation of mobile network standards for cellular technology.
Source: builtin.com
As wireless networks increasingly become critical components of society, resilience and security capabilities are crucial.
Source: ericsson.com
Table of Contents Evolution of wireless technology Key features of 6G Applications of 6G Technological innovations Impact on Internet of Things (IoT) Global connectivity and accessibility Timeline and challenges Summary The evolution of wireless networks and mobile connectivity has sparked the need and interest for an advanced option. 6G Network (Sixth-Generation wireless network) aims to combine impressive speed with new technology and intelligence to bring users a fully immersive and advanced experience. 6G technology is poised to change the future of wireless communication and is quickly gaining the attention of individuals worldwide.
Source: hp.com
This includes redefining today’s spectrum grid, but also exploring new frequency bands in the crucial centimetric wave (cmWave) range and complementary sub-terahertz (sub-THz) range.
Source: ericsson.com
It will also expand the scope of capabilities to support new and innovative applications in wireless connectivity, cognition, sensing and imaging.
Source: techtarget.com
This is 1,000 times faster — or 1/1000th the latency — than one millisecond throughput.
Source: techtarget.com
Future networks will be a fundamental component for the functioning of virtually all parts of life, society, and industries, fulfilling the communication needs of humans as well as intelligent machines.
Leveraging new technologies including greater use of the radio spectrum, AI/ML-powered air interfaces, and advanced antenna designs to provide unprecedented latency, reliability, and data speed/capacity for networks that are more diverse and adaptable than ever before.
Source: 6gworld.com
These benefits include improved access to AI capabilities and support for sophisticated mobile devices and systems. 6G internet is expected to launch commercially in 2030.
Its infrastructure would be able to support 10 million devices per square kilometer, topping 4G’s 100,000 per square kilometer.
Source: builtin.com
Smart Cities: Implementation of advanced technologies to optimize urban infrastructure, transportation, and services for sustainability, safety, and improved quality of life. Learn more.
Source: 6gworld.com
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