Tokyo starts preparations to introduce 6G communication

Japan has begun planning a comprehensive strategy for “post-5G” (6G) technology that achieves communication speeds that are ten times faster than 5G by 2030, according to a recent report by Nikkei.

The report claims that China, South Korea, and Finland have also started research, development, and investment in this segment. However, Japan has been surprisingly slow with the adoption of 5G technology and is hoping to make up with an early push toward 6G.

Report says, citing Japanese media, that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan will set up a government-civilian research society in January, under the chairmanship of the University of Tokyo Goshinjin, and the direct supervision of the general affairs minister Takao Sanae. Relevant people from NTT and Toshiba will also be invited to discuss 6G performance goals and policy support by June.

Japan claims that through using “post-5G” (6G) high-speed communication technology, it is possible to depict a future society in which individual stereoscopic images emerge from conference rooms or classrooms far away, and robots take care of people.

The country will invest $2.03 billion in the research and development of 6G. It’s expected to provide a speed ten times faster than what the world will witness in terms of 5G technology, which sounds frankly ridiculous. Unused high-frequency waves will be used in the 6G network.

Other countries have begun to take action, as well. The Chinese government announced in November 2019 that it would establish two 6G R & D institutions. Finnish universities and government-affiliated institutions have also launched 6G R & D projects. In South Korea, Samsung Electronics, and LG Electronics, each of them set up research centers in 2019.