Although 5G technology is still in its relative infancy, top technology companies from wireless carriers to chipset manufacturers to meta technology vendors are actively working on the development of the next milestone for wireless communications, known as the sixth generation, or 6G.
Tom Marzetta is the director of NYU Wireless, New York University’s research center for cutting-edge wireless technologies. Prior to joining NYU Wireless, Marzetta was at Nokia Bell Labs, where he developed massive MIMO. Massive MIMO (short for “multiple-input multiple-output”) allows engineers to pack dozens of small antennas into a single array. The high number of antennas means more signals can be sent and received at once, dramatically boosting a single cell tower’s efficiency.
The European Commission has adopted a legislative proposal for the upcoming European partnership on Smart Networks and Services (SNS) towards 6G, writes Peter Stuckmann, Future Connectivity Systems head of unit at the European Commission in a blog post on the Europa website.
Nokia Oyj is leading a group of companies and universities in a European Union funded wireless project called Hexa-X to help jump-start a new generation of mobile technology that’s already being called 6G.
Amid a 5G rollout that has faced its fair share of challenges, it might seem somewhat premature to start looking ahead at 6G, the next generation of mobile communications. But 6G development is happening now, and it’s being pursued in earnest by both industry and academia.