6G's Potential Impact On Society, Smartphones, And More

By John Oncea, Editor

The rollout of 5G is revolutionizing the way we communicate. How will 6G – 5G’s soon-to-be-here, bionically-enhanced successor – top it?

Comparing the potential of 6G to the current state of 5G brings to mind Steve Austin, the fictitious astronaut who was made “better, stronger, faster” through surgery performed after he was seriously injured when his spaceship crashed. Steve, as well as the Bionic Woman, Jaime Sommers, both became better versions of themselves as a result of their bionic implants that rebuilt their legs, arms, eye (Austin), and ear (Sommers).

Is 6G going to be a “better version” of 5G? Both are (or will) revolutionize the way we communicate by bringing faster speeds and lower latency. Both are (or will) open new realms of possibilities for businesses and consumers. So why the rush to roll out 6G when 5G’s rollout isn’t even done?

Better. Faster. Stronger.

A Defining Moment

First introduces in 2019, 5G “wasn’t simply an incremental technological advancement but a true leapfrog technology,” writes TechRepublic. “One of the biggest differences between 5G and its predecessors is speed. 5G offers theoretical speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second, which is more than 30 times faster than the 300Mbps theoretical maximum speed of 4G LTE-Advanced.”

5G also utilized higher frequency bands than previous generations. This, and the fact that it is deployable in low-band, mid-band, or high-band millimeter-waves from 24 GHz up to 66 GHz, allows it to provide massively faster data transfer speeds and greater bandwidth capacity.

6G is expected to replace 5G by 2030 and is expected to deliver faster speeds with reports that a Chinese lab has already achieved 206.25 gigabits. “This new technology will use higher frequency bands than 5G, operating in the 30 to 300 GHz millimeter waves up to the 300 to 3000 GHz radiation. Additionally, it will provide better coverage and improved reliability due to its wider range of spectrum usage.”

The advent of 5G technology is opening a world of seemingly endless possibilities, enabling a host of unprecedented applications such as autonomous vehicles, the Internet of Things, and smart cities. It also has revolutionized the way we deliver healthcare services remotely and has vastly improved our gaming experiences.

6G, much like the bionics-implanted Steve and Jamie, is poised to take all the 5G has and will accomplish to the next level, enabling an entirely new world and ushering in a new era of smart societies with a relentless focus on automation. This revolutionary technology will provide even faster speeds and ultra-low latency, empowering both individuals and businesses to explore innovative use cases.

Through the deployment of 6G technology, the creation of smart homes and automated transport systems will become a reality, which in turn, will help improve living standards and facilitate better environmental monitoring. Furthermore, 6G technology promises to take virtual healthcare to a whole new level, leveraging features such as holographic telepresence, AR/VR technology, artificial intelligence, and mobile edge computing to provide patients with medical care like never before.

6G also will provide tremendous growth potential for the self-driving car market, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and automated manufacturing. This technology is set to be a harbinger of modernization and future societies, and it is sure to contribute significantly to transforming our world as we know it.

6G And The Death Of The Smartphone?

Much of the promise 6G is expected to bring is centered on the improvements it will bring to communication in general and the smartphone in particular. Some industry experts, however, think 6G won’t improve smartphones, rather it will render them obsolete.

Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark said he doesn’t think the smartphone will be the most “common interface” when 6G is fully operational. According to CNBC, Lundmark believes smartphones are going to be replaced by smart glasses and other devices that are worn on the face. Lundmark made these remarks at last year’s World Economic Forum where he also said, “Many of these things will be built directly into our bodies.”

While not offering specifics, Lundmark did mention that some companies are already working on producing electronic devices that can be implanted into the brain and used for communication with machines and other people. On a more basic level, chips can be implanted into people’s fingers and used to unlock things.

The 6G Revolution

6G is about to revolutionize communications by pushing the boundaries 5G is establishing even further. This developing technology has the potential to bring with it solutions to some of the most pressing societal challenges. Trustworthy systems and improved sustainability and efficiency through mobile technology are just some of the benefits that 6G has to offer. Additionally, we can expect an acceleration of automation that will lead to new conveniences and better quality of life for people around the world.