Verizon's CTO discussed the future of 6G technology.
The carrier creates a 6G forum with members that include Qualcomm, Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung, and Meta.
A forum's participants include chipmaker Qualcomm, prominent networking firms such as Samsung, Ericsson, and Nokia, and Meta. Meta recently created impressive smart glasses that could potentially replace smartphones once 6G technology is available. Currently, a challenge with smart glasses is that, while the device could become mainstream and boost 6G development, the glasses are limited in size and power. Smart glasses also produce significant uplink traffic to the network because continuous video and streaming are needed for AR applications.
Verizon's Chief Technology Officer, Yago Tenorio, is in charge of creating the carrier's 6G technological strategy. Tenorio stated that the forum is important because current standards discuss uplink capacity with eight antennas in a device, which is useful for fixed wireless access and some smartphones. However, he questions the feasibility of incorporating eight antennas into a wearable device, noting the difficulty of even including two.
Tenorio would like NVIDIA, a major player in AI and GPU development, to join the forum, as the company could significantly contribute to 6G. Verizon also has considerable influence in the wireless industry as one of the largest wireless carriers in a major market.
The forum aims to identify practical 6G advancements and realistic use cases. To achieve this, the forum will:
Explore new spectrum bands and bandwidths to maximize 6G potential.
Collaborate with standards organizations like 3GPP to align forum efforts with mainstream 6G development, promoting industry interoperability.
Establish Verizon 6G Labs to enable partners to test 6G technologies in real-world settings. The initial lab will be in Los Angeles and will support collaborative research, prototyping, and early trials.
The forum aims to identify practical 6G advancements and realistic use cases. To achieve this, the forum will:
Explore new spectrum bands and bandwidths to maximize 6G potential.
Collaborate with standards organizations like 3GPP to align forum efforts with mainstream 6G development, promoting industry interoperability.
Establish Verizon 6G Labs to enable partners to test 6G technologies in real-world settings. The initial lab will be in Los Angeles and will support collaborative research, prototyping, and early trials.
The forum aims to identify practical 6G advancements and realistic use cases. To achieve this, the forum will:
Explore new spectrum bands and bandwidths to maximize 6G potential.
Collaborate with standards organizations like 3GPP to align forum efforts with mainstream 6G development, promoting industry interoperability.
Establish Verizon 6G Labs to enable partners to test 6G technologies in real-world settings. The initial lab will be in Los Angeles and will support collaborative research, prototyping, and early trials.
According to Verizon's CTO, 6G could introduce full duplex and "semi" full duplex technologies. In 5G, uplink and downlink signals prevent interference by using separate frequency lanes (frequency division duplex) or operating at different times (time division duplex). 6G's full duplex and "semi" full duplex are expected to allow simultaneous uplink and downlink operation while improving spectrum efficiency.
Massive MIMO, which increases the number of transmitters and antennas in a radio unit, is anticipated to see enhanced performance with 6G. While 5G technology was limited to 32TRX and 64TRX, 6G could potentially support up to 256TRX, as observed by Light Reading at Nokia's research and development center in Finland.
Higher spectrum bands pose a challenge for 6G due to shorter signal ranges that can be obstructed by objects. Limited signal range has affected mmWave's adoption in 5G, despite its high speeds. 5G networks have instead used mid-band spectrum, which offers longer ranges but lower speeds.
However, this might not be an issue for 6G. Nokia's Tommi Uitto identifies the 6.4GHz to 8.4GHz range as the "golden band" for 6G. Verizon's Tenorio points out that the propagation in the upper 6GHz and lower 7GHz bands could be similar to that of the C-band, potentially offering comparable coverage, including indoors.
Specifically, signals running from 6.425GHz to 7.125GHz within 6G's "golden band" should have similar range as 5G signals using the C-band, with comparable in-building penetration. This is favorable for carriers, reducing concerns about signal range limitations at higher frequencies.
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