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As 5G wireless communications systems continue to be deployed, enterprises are busy planning for 6G—the next generation of wireless communications set to transform our lives. Poised to merge communication and computing, 6G promises to create a hyperconnected world that blends digital and physical experiences with ultra-fast speeds and low latency as a starting point. Building on the foundations laid by 5G, 6G will continue supporting improved data latency, security, reliability, and the ability to process massive volumes of data in real time. It will also challenge what’s possible by bringing new, groundbreaking capabilities to the forefront, including expanded ubiquitous connectivity, integrated sensing and communication, and advanced artificial intelligence.

In today’s technology-driven era, we rely on our handhelds, smartphones, and mobile devices to fulfill day-to-day tasks, most of which are driven by on-device or cloud-based AI and ML. Connectivity and compute power are the most important factors enabling on-cloud large language models (LLMs) to process and respond to human interaction. The communication infrastructure currently operates over 5G networks. It started not long ago with bandwidth in the kilobits per second (Kbps) range in 2G and has now evolved to gigabits per second (Gbps) in 5G. On the horizon, the existing 5G wireless communication infrastructure will soon evolve to 6G, offering bandwidths of terabits per second (Tbps). With the increasing number of devices and complex AI workloads, a much higher network bandwidth is needed. Network infrastructure giants are already looking to update their hardware to support speeds 50-100 times faster than 5G, with air latency under 100 microseconds, and even wider network coverage and reliability.

With this new infrastructure for 6G, carrier support and hardware/software support will require new RF designs and chipsets capable of supporting higher communication frequencies, possibly up to 1 THz. Although newer networks may be designed for more data bits per kilowatt of power efficiency, the increase in density, traffic, and processing speeds tends to negate these savings.

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