What is 6g? And what organisation in the South East is driving it forward most?
Tech innovation moves fast. It seems as if it was only yesterday that we were all first hearing about the wonders and possibilities involved in 5G and eagerly awaiting its national rollout. And now? We're on to the next phase of wireless communication... that's right - 6G.
What is 6G exactly?
6G is set to be the 'sixth generation' of wide-area wireless technology and a successor to the current 5G cellular technology we use at the moment.
These generations occur every decade or so and are standardised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). There'll be improvements in both encoding and transmission, meaning that the new generation tech uses more and more advanced digital encoding that older devices, computers and tech aren't equipped to deal with.
6G networks will use far higher frequencies than 5G networks too, giving an exponentially higher capacity and far lower latency. It should allow for significant improvements in imaging, artificial intelligence (AI) tech, presence technology and location awareness.
The South East university at the forefront of 6G
The University of Surrey in Guildford is a leading light in the development of this upcoming and game changing new phase of wireless comms tech. They are at the forefront of 6G research and innovation, making a mark not just in the South East, but on a global scale.
The educational institution has built and launched its very own 6G innovation centre. The centre aims to be 'a leading global research hub focused on advanced telecommunications engineering that brings together the physical and virtual worlds, enabling teleportation.'
Regius Professor Rahim Tafazolli FREng is the Director of the 6G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey. He says this about the work which is being carried out there under his stewardship:
“What our industry members are telling us is that the traditional approach of ever-higher data rates in ever-higher spectrum band is running out of road as a mobile service. An entirely new approach is needed that mobilises exciting new services that address the great global challenges. We are setting out this new vision in a 6G white paper being published today.”
For more information on the novel and envelope-pushing research and development around 6G that the University of Surrey is carrying out, you can read the white paper released by them.
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