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European consortium lays groundwork for 6G as deployment of 5G advances

22nd January 2021

By: Natasha Odendaal

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

     

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As fifth-generation (5G) technologies are deployed worldwide, information and communication technology (ICT) giants Ericsson and Nokia are leading a new European Commission flagship research project to lay the groundwork for sixth-generation (6G) technology and set the direction for future research and standardisation focus areas.

Hexa-X, which started on January 1, aims to bring together major ICT industry and academic stakeholders with a focus on developing the vision for future 6G systems and developing key technology enablers to connect the human, physical and digital worlds.

Nokia is the overall project coordinator, leading the 6G joint research and prestandardisation process, with Nokia Bell Labs already researching the fundamental technologies that will comprise 6G, while Ericsson is the technical lead, laying the technical groundwork for future use cases, distributed multiple-input/multiple-output, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, and the overall 6G vision and architecture.

The duo are working closely with a strong consortium of European partners, representing the full value chain of future connectivity solutions, including network vendors, communication service providers, technology providers and prominent European communications research institutes. These include Intel, the University of Oulu, Siemens, Orange, Aalto University, Telefonica and Qamcom, besides others.

Hexa-X is the first official research initiative across the industry ecosystem to accelerate and foster 6G research and drive European leadership in the 6G era, says Nokia Bell Labs access and devices research head Peter Vetter.

The project goals include creating unique 6G use cases and scenarios, developing fundamental 6G technologies and defining a new architecture for an intelligent fabric that integrates key 6G technology enablers.

Innovation Programme

Hexa-X will run until June 2023, with funding from the European Commission under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme.

Nokia expects 6G systems to launch commercially by 2030, following the typical ten-year cycle between generations.

“Even though there is still a lot of innovation in 5G with the release of new standards, we are already exploring 6G in our research lab,” says Vetter.

“In 2030, society will have been shaped by 5G for ten years. While we continue to evolve 5G, now is also the right time to start collaborative 6G research activities,” adds Ericsson VP and research head Magnus Frodigh.

“In 2020, we have so far seen a strong expansion of 5G happening throughout the world, with networks providing new communication capabilities and services that are set to transform society. As we continue to witness this success, we should remember that the first steps toward 5G were taken a decade ago even as fourth-generation was just being rolled out and while it was still hard to identify needs beyond that time,” he says.

“The Hexa-X project will be an important vehicle for joint exploration across European industry and academia, together shaping how exponential technology evolution will meet anticipated demands and opportunities for the 6G era. The road to 6G begins today.”

Vetter points out that the 6G era will deliver applications that will connect humans with machines and humans with the digital world.

“Such a secure and private connection can be used for preventive healthcare or even to create a 6G network with a sixth sense that intuitively understands our intentions, making our interactions with the physical world more effective and anticipating our needs, thereby improving our productivity.”

The Hexa-X project will develop key technology enablers in the areas of fundamentally new radio access technologies at high frequencies and high-resolution localisation and sensing; connected intelligence through AI-driven air interface and governance for future networks; and 6G architectural enablers for network disaggregation and dynamic dependability.

The consortium has identified six research challenges to be addressed to lay the technical foundation for 6G wireless systems. These comprise connecting intelligence; network of networks; sustainability; global service coverage; extreme experience; and trustworthiness.

“An open, modular and flexible framework – the x-enabler fabric – will be developed as a foundation to integrate and weave together the technical enablers that address the above six research challenges, from both the Hexa-X project itself and other 6G projects,” Vetter says.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

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