We are less than five years into the era of 5G wireless and already researchers are developing the next generation of over-the-air connectivity. Spoiler alert: They’re calling it 6G.
At Northeastern University, which has been at the forefront of earlier wireless advances, the first 6G project is taking off. The school’s Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things last month won backing from the Department of Defense to develop the new tech under an initiative dubbed “Open6G.” The effort will be housed on Northeastern’s Burlington campus next to Colosseum, the massive wireless simulation center that was designated as an innovation zone by the Federal Communications Commission last year.
About 120 researchers already work on the wireless program, Tommaso Melodia, a professor and director of the institute, said. The team is “envisioning a future where people and their environment are wirelessly connected by a continuum of AI-powered devices and networks,” he said.
5G technology started using a much higher frequency spectrum than previous wireless phone generations. Verizon’s 5G service in Boston includes 28 GHz, for example, well above typical phone bands like 800 MHz or 1.9 GHz. The higher frequencies can pack in more data, making for faster downloads, but the signals don’t travel as far and have trouble penetrating buildings.
For 6G, researchers are discussing going to ultra high frequencies of 1 terahertz and above. Northeastern said its Teranova project is the first that will be able to test terahertz transmissions. That could bring terabit-per-second downloads, Melodia said — quick enough to download files at almost 1,000 times the speed of today’s fastest 5G networks.
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