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Japan tech giants unveil breakthrough in 6G race with ultra-fast wireless device
In the global race for 6G technology, a group of Japanese companies DOCOMO, NTT, NEC, and Fujitsu have announced one of the world's first high-speed 6G wireless devices.
The four firms formed a consortium for the project, collaborating on devices since 2021 to herald the era of 6G.
The device can transmit data at a speed of 100 Gbps, covering a distance of up to 330 feet (100 metres) which is 20 times faster than current 5G networks that can manage up to 4.9 Gbps.
According to the report, the primary distinction between 5G and 6G lies in the frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum used. 5G typically operates at 28 GHz, while 6G is set to leverage higher bands known as "sub-terahertz" (100-300 GHz), enabling significantly faster speeds.
"To be successful, this effort will need to overcome several key challenges, such as determining the specific performance requirements of wireless devices operating in the sub-terahertz band, and then actually developing such devices," Fujitsu announced in April.
They added that the four companies will continue to collaborate in extensive research and development "into sub-terahertz telecommunications, leveraging each company's strengths in various initiatives to contribute to 6G standardisation."
Japan aims to lead the charge in the 6G revolution with the infrastructure expected to roll out in the 2030s, according to reports. However, the first 5G mobile towers didn't go online until the end of 2018 and the first 5G mobile networks didn't roll out until early 2019.
According to some projections, there will be close to 6 billion 5G connections by 2027.
