What might well be the first conference focussed on 6G will take place in Chicago in June.
With 5G barely off the starting blocks, 6G might seem a distant prospect, but research is already underway and coverage of the topic is increasing.
The 6G Innovation and 5G Evolution Forum will be held July 14-15 2020 in Chicago. The organisers expect the event to attract numerous industry stakeholders, including test and measurement vendors, chip developers and networking infrastructure providers, and say their push for 6G “will very likely make the contest to achieve 5G dominance appear minor compared to the race to determine which countries will lead the 6G technology market and its related applications, services and solutions.”
The event promises to “bring together technology developers, strategists, and researchers to explore the capabilities of 6G, as well as how to build upon 5G to meet future market needs”
Topics to be addressed include:
- From university grants to corporate funding: fuelling the R&D investment beyond 5G;
- The low, medium, and high revenue and profit areas for 5G and beyond;
- Evolution of broadband and data economics in a post 5G world;
- Key apps and solutions for consumers, enterprise, and industrial for 5G and beyond;
- The changing business dynamic for communication service providers;
- 5G RAN impacts on network operations and services planning;
- The timing of 5G core upgrades, network and solution impacts of 5G stand-alone;
- Bolstering 5G cybersecurity and preparing to be 6G-secure at the outset;
- What is envisioned as part of 6G and how it will evolve networks, devices, and operations;
- Applying to 6G networks what we have learned from 5G technology and operations management;
- 6G RAN: Smaller, higher capacity, lower latency, and even more challenging than 5G;
- 6G Core: 6G Core: What will it include? Is there a place for core network artificial intelligence?
Speaking proposals are due by February 15, 2020 and exhibitors and sponsors are sought.
The event is being organised by research firm Mind Commerce and online information portal The Smart Grid Observer
5G just a prelude to 6G
Mind Commerce has produced a 6G Technology Market Report in which it predicts that 5G and its apps and services will be largely a stepping stone to the 6G technology market.
Mind Commerce says:
“5G will have minimal effect in the near-term for the consumer segment, (2) Advanced 5G and edge computing supported private wireless solutions for enterprise and industrial sectors will facilitate innovation in smart buildings, smart factories, and automation in general, and (3) 5G will pave the way for expansion of immersive technologies (AR, VR, and haptic Internet), but a truly rich user experience will not come until the 6G technology market is fully developed.”
Interest in 6G ramps up rapidly
Interest in, and coverage of, 6G has ramped up rapidly in the past 12 months. Last December IoTAustralia examined the level of interest and since then we’ve seen 6G become mainstream news, on the ABC website, in a story citing a (claimed) exclusive report from Canadian news site The Logic saying Huawei had begun researching 6G at its Ottawa lab.
Earlier this month one IDG columnist was prompted to ask: “Why is everybody talking about 6G?” given, he said, it was non-existent, not real and would not be available until “a long time from now.”
Even Donald Trump is championing 6g. Back in February POTUS tweeted “I want 5G, and even 6G, technology in the United States as soon as possible. It is far more powerful, faster, and smarter than the current standard.”
