CV_Winter_21

MOBILE & WIRELESS new standard likely will be marketed as 6G. Some industry professionals are not so keen to leap to a 6G already. As Verizon’s top networking execu- tive, Kyle Malady, was quoted after the recent 6G Symposium, which took place in October: “We just put 5G in, and I think there’s a lot of development still to come on that one. I still think there’s a lot of focus that needs to be on 5G right now and making that as good as it could be.” During his keynote speech at the 2020 IEEE Global Communications Conference, president of the Insti- tute of Strategic Research William Xu wasn’t ready to leap to 6G, either. Instead, he called 5.5G the “next step toward realizing our vision for the mobile industry, which is to meet the requirements for the transformation from the internet of everything to the intelligent internet of everything.” Xu said 5G should meet the ITU-defined scenarios of enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC) and ultra-reliable low-latency commu- nication (URLLC). But, he added, 5.5G will transcend those application scenarios with three newly introduced capabilities: uplink centric broadband communication (UCBC), real-time broadband communication (RTBC), and harmonized communication and sensing (HCS). Whatever it is called, the next G activities primarily are centered around academia with additional efforts from agencies of the U.S. government and standards developing organiza- tions. In the meantime, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) issued a “call to action” to promote U.S. 6G leadership. ATIS stated the timeline for development has begun, as today’s investments in 5G networks, devices, and applications point toward future opportunities. ATIS formed the Next G Alliance, an initiative to advance North Ameri- can mobile technology leadership during the next decade through private sector-led efforts. A strong emphasis is Use Scenarios for 5G and Beyond Holographic Communications A method of producing a 3D image of a physical object by recording – on a light-sensitive medium – the pattern of interference formed by a split laser beam, where one of the beam paths interacts with the 3D Tactile/Haptic Communications The Tactile Internet can be considered the next evolution of the internet of things (IoT). The Tactile Internet encompasses human- to-machine and machine-to-machine interaction enabling real- time interactive and control systems applicable to industrial, societal and business use cases. It adds a new dimension to human-to-machine interaction by enabling transmission of human touch and haptic sensations. Ubiquitous Services (Land, Air, Space, Sea) This would provide seamless service coverage nearly everywhere: all terrestrial, marine, air, and space-based locations. A seamlessly integrated connectivity framework consisting of land, sea, air, and space-based nodes would be a significant step forward compared to today’s fragmented picture. Medical/Health Vertical A transformative healthcare experience will need multiple innovations spanning across all aspects of the healthcare industry. 6G has the potential for being the technology driver for enabling these advances and reshaping this critical sector for future generations. Government/National Security Mobile networks have become part of a critical national security strategy where governments see a need for advanced communication technologies and ubiquitous connectivity to operate with speed, precision, and efficiency. Governments recognize the possibility of efficiency gains, rapid deployment, and adaptation of their facility operations with automated vehicles and logistics with future networks ready to deploy anywhere, anytime. Imaging and Sensing Novel sensing and image applications will drive demand for more communication-based applications and leverage the future networks to serve them. Today, smartphones employ imaging and sensing applications for ultra-high-definition video recording, ambient light detection, and accelerometers and gyroscopes to measure motion and orientation. 6G opens the possibilities of extremely innovative sensing and imaging applications, e.g., through mmWave and THz radio. First Responder/ Emergency Services Public safety with emergency service response requires a reliable (availability, reliability, and resiliency), ubiquitous, network agnostic communication framework providing voice, data, and video and other emerging communication technologies. First responder operations cover maritime, aerial, and terrestrial environments. When considering mobile networks for emergency communications, these parameters are critical: • network redundancy • on-demand/temporal coverage • in-building solutions • location centric capacities • failure scenarios such as network outage with rapid recovery solutions • alternate communication recovery solutions (satellite backhaul, mobile network on wheels). Cyber-Physical Systems Cyber-physical systems (CPS) marry the digital world with the real world. It is enabled by technologies that bring the virtual and physical worlds together and where intelligent objects communicate and interact with each other. An example is the massive internet of things (MIoT), which represents connectivity and interaction between a massive number of physical objects. Transportation Vertical Transportation is the backbone of modern society and represents a large percentage of the GDP for some countries. The next G likely will boost autonomous driving. 5G systems already support many transportation use cases with V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication technology including vehicle-to-network, vehicle-to- infrastructure, vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-pedestrian, etc. During the next decade, new use cases and business models will emerge and bring new requirements to the under-communication system. 16 CHANNEL V ISION | January - February, 2021