5G is barely available around the globe, but that is not stopping tech giants from testing next-generation mobile network technology. As such, Korean electronics company LG has successfully tested 6G Terahertz (THz) data transmission, enabling monumental transfer speeds.
LG conducted its tests outdoors over a distance of 320 meters at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) in Berlin, Germany on September 7. The transmission was made at a frequency range of 155-175 GHz and LG says that it is a significant step towards commercializing 6G in urban areas in the future.
The company and its partners used a custom 20 dBm multichannel power amplifier for transmission and received it through a low noise amplifier which improved the incoming signal quality. Dr. Kim Byoung-hoon, CTO and EVP of LG Electronics said:
With the success of our latest demonstration, we are one step closer to realizing 6G speeds of 1 terabit (TB) per second in both indoor and outdoor urban areas. We expect 6G to be a major driver of future business and new user experiences, and there is no place we’d rather be than at the forefront of its development.
On paper, 6G should be able to deliver ten times lower latency and 50 times higher data speeds with higher reliability compared to 5G networks. For instance, mmWave 5G which is available for commercial use can deliver 3 Gbps peak speeds, but the theoretical max is 5 Gbps. This means we can expect to see around 150 Gbps peak speeds from 6G networks.
This should enable applications like 3D networking, optical wireless communication (OWC), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and wireless power transfer.
However, 6G is not expected to arrive anytime soon. Telecom giants expect that the next generation network technology will be standardized by 2025 and commercialization is expected to happen by 2029.
