This country is already showing what will be possible with 6G

The movements are still very jerky. For Nakamura, on the other hand, it is a first taste of applications that could become a reality around 2030 with the super-fast sixth-generation mobile networks, dubbed 6G. With a research budget of one billion euros per year, NTT Docomo is one of the global pioneers.

The parent company NTT wants to present the prototype of a 6G network as early as 2025 at the Osaka World Expo. Extending human capabilities through technology, so-called human enhancement, is what Nakamura mentions as an idea for an application. With the new technology, “our network can function as a kind of extended human nervous system.”

At 6G, latency drops to 100 microseconds

Behind its promise is a quantum leap in technology. 6G networks are expected to be able to transmit 100 times more data than 5G networks, which are just rolling out around the world. According to Mahyar Shirvanimoghaddam of the University of Sydney, this bandwidth would be enough to download 142 hours of Netflix video in best definition per second.

Furthermore, the delay in data transfer, the so-called latency, is expected to drop from a few milliseconds in 5G networks to 100 microseconds in the final stage of development.

The Japanese government sees 6G as an opportunity to rebuild the country into a leading powerhouse in network technology. According to Japanese market researcher Cyber ​​Creative Institute, the former pioneer is currently only in third place behind the US and China with a ten percent share of 6G patents. Suppliers such as Huawei from China or Samsung from South Korea have long been involved.

As early as the end of 2020, the government therefore brought together the largest companies in the country in the “Beyond 5G” consortium. Since then, automakers like Toyota, machine builders and others have been discussing use cases and technical requirements with mobile network operators and network providers like NEC.

6G networks are expected to bring full networking of the real and virtual worlds

With this concerted action, Japanese companies are expected to become pioneers in 6G technology once again, Nakamura said. “The Japanese government is very aggressive and hopes to expand the development to the whole world.”

With 6G, services are suddenly conceivable that previously could only be implemented to a limited extent. For example, people could digitally slide into robots anywhere in the world from their couch, which, depending on the stage of development, act like their pilots. Distance training would therefore also be possible, in which, for example, a dance teacher gives lessons via the Internet.

But industrial applications are becoming more important than entertainment, Nakamura explains. Because high data throughput is considered a prerequisite for the next level of the Internet of Things, where billions of devices, machines and sensors for autonomous driving and digitized factories are networked and exchanging information.

This not only enables extensive networking of the real with the virtual worlds. The reach of the 6G network has also increased through the seamless integration of ground stations, aircraft and satellites. In this way, coverage could be extended not only to sparsely populated regions, but also to air taxis, space, oceans and “under water,” says Nakamura. Subsea construction businesses are also facing digitalisation.

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However, pioneer Nakamura’s experience with introducing new technologies made him cautious when it comes to predicting the next successful applications. “It’s very difficult to identify the next killer app before or at the beginning of the introduction of a new network technology,” he explains.

When the Japanese rolled out 3G networks around the turn of the millennium, they mistakenly believed that TV on mobile devices would be a hit. Instead, with the launch of the iPhone, YouTube and other services have prevailed.

Complex technology makes predictions impossible

Only one thing is certain: With the rapid increase in applications in the industrial sector, global competition is intensifying right from the start of development. When 3G networks were introduced, Europe, the United States and Japan were still among them. At the beginning of 4G Koreans joined, with 5G also Chinese companies. “India has also been involved in the discussions for two or three years,” Nakamura explains.

Plus, businesses around the world now have a say in which applications they want. “That makes the process even more complex,” says Docomo’s chief technologist. “It’s very difficult to prioritize and find consensus.”

However, whether this will be successful depends increasingly on geopolitics. Tensions between the US and China threaten to tear the internet apart in spheres of influence. Nakamura describes a possible division of the world into different 6G standards as a “nightmare”. Developing products and services for different markets would dramatically increase costs and could slow down development.

Faced with this horror scenario, the Japanese remain optimistic about the stability of the telecommunications world. “It’s too early to tell, but right now I don’t see any risk of split standards,” Nakamura said. “Everyone in the industry prefers one standard.”

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