Helsinki: Most of the world has not experienced 5G technology yet, but Nokia on Monday tweeted that the European Union (EU) has selected the Finnish company to lead the EU commission’s 6G project, called Hexa-X.
The others in the group include wireless gearmaker Ericsson AB, telecom operators Telefonica SA, and Orange SA, and technology firms including Siemens AG and Intel Corp. The membership list also includes the University of Oulu and the University of Pisa.
5G may be in its early days, but the preparation for 6G is on in full swing in some regions of the globe. Apart from the Nokia-led Hexa-X in Europe, the US has the O-RAN Alliance and the Next G Alliance. The Chinese also have their own 6G development group.
The advanced technology is expected to use super high-frequency terahertz airwaves and deliver advanced connectivity. The technology is so advanced that it could offer real-time holographic imaging, starting in 2030.
“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. In the 6G era we will see applications that will not only connect humans with machines but also connect humans with the digital world,” said Peter Vetter, head of access and devices research, Nokia Bell Labs, adding that, “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.”
Nokia Bell Labs, the industrial research arm of Nokia, had pioneered some of the fundamental technology innovations that are being used to develop 5G standards.