6G Is Coming Here’s What To Expect From The Next Generation Of Cellular Tech

Remember when 5G promised us

remote surgery and flying cars?

Things haven't quite lived up to

the grand claims that carriers made,

but at least Netflix loads a bit faster, right?

Well, it's already time for 6G

to start getting the limelight.

Key industry players started talking

about the next generation of cellular technology

at Mobile World Congress recently.

We're looking at a 2030 global rollout.

So what's actually changing besides the number?

The big focus this time is the uplink.

5G was great for download speeds,

but carriers want 6G to make sending data to the network,

like when you upload a 4K video, start a video call

or ask an AI chatbot to rate your fit,

just as fast.

The 6G infrastructure could also include AI nodes

embedded into the network

to reduce data processing time dramatically,

so your query only needs to travel to a nearby node

rather than all the way to a chatbot's data center.

There's also talk of sensing.

Basically, the network using

terahertz spectrum acts like radar,

seeing the shape and movement of objects

and people without using cameras.

The idea is to use this to detect the presence

of drones flying in the air

or vehicles on the ground.

Cool? Yeah.

A privacy nightmare?

Also, probably, yes.

Nothing is quite set in stone yet.

Companies are still ironing out all the goals

and objectives for 6G,

and over the next few years you'll probably hear

grand claims and promises of holograms

and human augmentation.

But for most of us,

it'll just be another reason to upgrade your phone.