India emerges among frontrunners in the early stage of 6G development: GSA

Have you seen the movie, Agent Cody Banks? The hero, Cody Banks (Frankie Muniz), tries to shut off the hologram image of his handler, Ms Ronica Miles (played by Ms. Angie Harmon) toward the end of the movie! Holographic videoconferencing technology provides an experience closer to that of a face-to-face presentation. However, human hologram technology is far from perfect. Well, read on!

Stuart Cooke, Chair, GSA Global Spectrum Team, provided an update regarding 6G, at the 6G Global Summit 2023, organized by Forum Global, in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. He was setting the scene for moving beyond 5G. What will the road to 6G look like?

Each IMT/3GPP generation enriches the user experience. 5G brought high-speed eMBB and vertical services from 2019. Likewise, 6G will bring extreme connectivity and immersive augmented experiences from 2030 onward.

Looking at IMT/3GPP spectrum requirements for 2020-2030, 5G is underway with licensing and roll outs. 5G expansion spectrum planning is also underway in some countries, with a timeframe from 2023/25.

6G research is also accelerating globally. ITU-R planned deliverables (including IMT 2030 framework) and workplan are in place to enable IMT-2030/6G standards to be completed by 2030, in co-operation with external organizations, such as 3GPP.

Lot of activities are planned for 6G ITU-R IMT-2030. Under WRC-23, years 2024-26 will focus on technical performance requirements, evaluation criteria and methodology, and requirements, evaluation criteria, and submission templates. Under WRC-27, years 2027-30 will look at technology proposals for IMT-2030, evaluation, consensus building, outcome and decision, and IMT-2030 specifications.

Globally, there are lot of 6G research frameworks and strategies going on. Some of these are in China, with China Academy of ICT (CAICT), Europe with Hexa-X, Japan with Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium (B5GPC), India, with DoT's Bharat 6G Alliance, Korea, ITU, UK with Pillars of 6G Strategy and Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, and USA with NextG Alliance.

India ahead!

A recent example is the Bharat 6G Alliance from India. The mission is to design, deploy and develop 6G network technologies that provide ubiquitous, secure, and intelligent connectivity for high-quality living experience for the world. Task forces include multi platform next-generation networks, multi-disciplinary innovative solutions, spectrum policy, financing R&D, devices, and international standards contribution.

The objectives are to facilitate and finance R&D, design and development of 6G technologies by Indian startups, companies, research bodies, and universities. This will Enable India to become a leading global supplier of IP, products and solutions of affordable 6G telecom solutions. It can deploy 6G technologies to act as a powerful force multiplier for India@2030. It will enable inclusive and significant enhancement in quality of living experience of citizens in India, and across the world.

Phase 1 will be from 2023-2025, where India will look at explorative ideas, risky pathways, proof of concept tests. Phase2 will be from 2026-2030. India will look to develop ideas and concepts that show promise and potential for acceptance by the global peer community. They can establish use cases and benefits, and also create IP and test beds for commercialization.

Another example was the UK Government announcement of the UK Wireless Infrastructure Strategy in April 2023. There is an indicative roadmap for 6G. The UK has plans to research, develop, and deploy 6G technologies by 2028-2030.

Regarding 6G, new, essential spectrum should be available from the 7GHz to 24GHz, up to 71GHz bands. There will be technology evolution and reuse of existing spectrum ranges. New ‘complementary’ 6G range should be available from 92 GHz, sub-THz, and 275 GHz bands.

Frequency bands from within these ranges will need to be considered for further study, taking into account the sharing possibilities of IMT with other radiocommunication services allocated on a primary basis. The lower the frequency, the better from within the ‘essential range’ in terms of propagation, cell size, and economic network deployments. IMT agenda item for the WRC-27 is a key step toward a successful device ecosystem and economies of scale.

Wide-area mobile 6G apps

Next, how much spectrum will be needed to support wide-area mobile 6G? This includes applications such as immersive XR, mobile holograms, communication and sensing, etc. Wide area use cases include XR in 1GHz, holographic communications in 1.1GHz, and sensing and communication in 0.3-0.5GHz.

500-750MHz additional wide area spectrum per network is needed, in addition to re-using the existing spectrum. This is preliminary analysis, and depends on the existing mid-bands spectrum available for IMT, and on the number of networks in a specific country.

In conclusion, 6G research is globally accelerating. The IMT 2030/6G standards should be completed by 2030 by ITU-R Working Party 5D, in co-operation with external organisations such as 3GPP. Commercialization target has been set around 2030 and onwards.

Mobile broadband traffic and spectrum needs will continue to grow as we evolve towards 6G. Also, 6G will need the combination of all frequency ranges -- from low, up to extremely high bands, to meet coverage and enhanced capacity requirements, and serve new and emerging use cases.

In addition to the existing spectrum, new spectrum from within the ‘essential’ range 7-24GHz, and ‘complementary’ sub-THz range is recommended to be considered. Given the early stage of 6G development and design, there is an opportunity to consider co-existence needs.

Global / regional harmonization -- such as spectrum, standards, timing, etc., remains critical. The GSA, in co-operation with other national and regional organizations, stands ready to assist the development of a 6G strategy and technical support for a potential WRC-27 IMT agenda item.