Technology never sits still, so while 5G communications feels pretty new and flashy, the industry is already making preparations for the next generation. LG Electronics and the Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz Institute have now conducted a test that set a new distance record for data transmission using 6G technology.
As you’d expect, 6G is expected to function like 5G and its predecessors, but much faster and more efficiently. That’s because it extends, for the first time, into terahertz (THz) frequencies, which should allow it to provide data rates up to 50 times faster than 5G with just 10% of the latency.
Companies like Samsung and LG have been testing and refining the technology for a few years now, continually setting new distance records for 6G data transmission. Now, in new tests LG and Fraunhofer have successfully extended that distance to 500 m (1,640 ft), shattering a record of 320 m (1,050 ft) set last year.
This milestone is significant, the team says, because 500 m is the standard distance for high-powered base stations set up around urban areas. The new tests also verified that 6G can communicate between building-to-building, building-to-ground and ground-to-ground terminals. All up, the technology is inching ever closer to real-world readiness.
The main disadvantage of 6G is that it usually has a short range. For the new test, LG and Fraunhofer developed a new multi-channel power amplifier and a receiver low-noise amplifier, which boosted the output by over 50% to achieve the new distance record.
Your 5G phone isn’t obsolete quite yet though – commercialization for 6G isn’t expected before 2029. In the meantime, there are plenty more technological kinks to iron out and network standards to be decided.
Source: LG
