Imagine mailing 500 emails in just one second. That is the breakthrough of what was recently concluded in a new development with 6G technology. A team from University College London managed to transfer data at a blazing rate of 938 gigabits per second over a 6G network. That is over 9,000 times quicker than today’s 5G connections. That marks the fastest multiplex data transfer ever recorded.
the study in the Journal of Lightwave Technology and reported on New Scientist isn’t just about reaching new record speeds but solving a problem we all share: slow, unreliable networks when we’re at crowded places-such as concerts or sports events. Right now, 5G networks can only take so much bandwidth that leaves us frustrated, when all of us are at once trying to connect with whatever.
In the US, 5G generally operates at between 2.5GHz and 4.2GHz. But why stop there? The researchers at UCL thought that they could take this even further and extend the frequency range up to a astonishing 150GHz using a combination of radio waves and light. That would open up a whole lot more “space” for data to flow through, which has the promise of ensuring connections remain smooth even when the networks are overcrowded.
Zhixin Liu, the author of the study, explained it in an analogy that even the most naive of people can understand: “It’s like traffic. You need wider roads to carry more cars.” That means, if this 5G is considered a two-lane road, then this new 6G method is more like a six-lane highway. The wider the road, the more data that can get through, even during peak hours.
But achieving those speeds wasn’t easy to begin with. You see, many digital-to-analog converters, which use radio waves to transmit data, start slowing down at higher frequencies. So Liu and his colleagues did the mixed bag- sending radio waves for the lower frequencies and lasers for the higher ones-in a combination that produced a wider “bandwidth” that new technology might one day read in our future smartphones.
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Already, there’s been a buzz in the tech community over this development. Liu’s team is discussing plans with the makers of smartphones and network providers to roll this technology into the future world of 6G networks. Word is even that Apple is working on a modem for 6G technology, with its first 5G modem to be used in the iPhone SE 4 next year. Patents, patents, and more patents. The expectations surrounding this technology impact on industries is higher than with AI.
While we have been hearing buzz about 6G since 2021, experts, such as Samsung, predict that we probably won’t even catch a glimpse of this high-speed network until 2028. To establish some groundwork for its future rollout, Samsung has teamed up with Princeton University as early as in 2024.
It’s exciting to think that Liu’s work might be included in the phones we eventually use to hold this little device. For now though, we’ll need to be a little patient. We’re still a few years off from seeing 6G-capable phones on the market, but with these kinds of advances, the future of super-fast and reliable connections are beginning to seem a little closer.
Data rates seem almost unbelievable in such a world that is increasingly wired: the new wireless technology has been used by researchers at University College London to send nearly 1TB of data per second across a 6G network–9,000 times faster than 5G. This figure is quite impressive but, above all, a game-changer, being over 9,000 times faster than what is offered in 5G networks. To put this number into context, one would be able to send 500 emails in just one second at this speed. The world would witness this type of technology applied to everyday life.
In the study that came out in the Journal of Lightwave Technology and was covered by New Scientist did not just want to break speed records. It also solved a problem we have all met at one point or another: network congestion. In a concert, a stadium, or even a busy city street, mobile networks become overwhelmed with the number of people trying to connect, which can slow them down and even cause those connections to drop. And the researchers wanted to find a solution that would keep those connections from slowing or dropping, even in the busiest of times.
The Problem with Current 5G Networks
Current 5G networks take a certain band width which can only carry so much before things start slowing down. In the United States most 5G falls into 2.5 to 4.2GHz, but in low spectrum it is a problem when too many devices try to connect at the same time. The demand on these networks will continue to increase as more users stream video, share photographs, and use augmented reality on their devices. This frequently slows data speeds or even cuts off connections completely.
The UCL researchers made it all possible. They extended the frequency from 5GHz out to 150GHz. But in order to understand why that is such a big deal, it’s helpful to think of bandwidth as a road. Imagine 5G is equivalent to a two-lane road during rush hour. Stretching the bandwidth all the way to 150GHz would mean that’s like widening that road into a six-lane freeway. If more lanes mean that more cars get through at the same time, the same principle applies in the case of increased bandwidth, allowing more data to be transmitted in succession, even at the busy hour.
How the UCL Team Did It
That’s the rate at which this information has to travel. It wasn’t just a matter of simply widening the “data road.” The engineering hurdles at these frequencies are extreme. Usually, digital-to-analog converters-used to convert digital information into a signal that can be broadcast over the air-work on radio waves. When these converters operate at higher frequencies, though, they often trip up because the signal begins to break up, similar to how sound can break up during a bad phone connection.
A combination of both radio waves and lasers was used to tackle this challenge by Zhixin Liu and his team. For less frequencies, they remained true to their traditional radio waves, but for higher frequencies, they shifted over to laser technology. In a nutshell, it was a way to combine the advantages of both methods. This allowed them to send information at higher frequencies without attenuation or loss of signal quality, while the radio waves were stable at the lower end. And this created a wide “band” for data transmission that is important in achieving such incredible speeds.
The technology that might emerge is no longer purely theoretical: it is practical. This team thinks that maybe future smart phones, and networked devices in general, will be able to simply rely on new hardware-a hardware that can read those broader signals-plus possibly pave the way for 6G networks. Indeed, in such a future, devices might handle data so fast and reliably that this future may make the problems of laggy video calls, long download times, and sluggish app performance seem like a thing of the past.
Why It Matters for Everyday Users
At first glance, it appears that what the UCL study did is overkill for any average user. Sending 500 emails in a second or downloading a full-length movie in a blink isn’t anything most people would need to do regularly. Of course, the repercussions of this breakthrough have much further implication than just faster downloads.
Imagine a future wherein VR and AR experiences are as mundane and silky as watching a YouTube video is today. Streaming ultra-high definition content to AR glasses or VR headsets would be almost instant with 6G speeds. Just think of the real-time transmission of complex data during surgeries conducted remotely or enable wireless communication to share road conditions or obstacles quickly, almost in an instant, among vehicles to keep our roads safer.
This is a technology that may make the event experience better, with regards to concerts and sports games as well as festivals, where networks have proven to become overloaded. Thousands may upload videos, stream live content, and share photos all at once without a drop in quality or speed due to the increased bandwidth present in 6G.
The Road to 6G: Where Are We Now?
This is a great innovation in the field of speed with data, but it would be worth understanding that the phase of development of 6G networks still lags behind at their current pace. Currently, for all practical purposes, 6G remains more of an idea than a reality. We’ve all been hearing about the arrival of 6G since 2021; however, its large-scale implementations are probably still a few years away. Major companies and researchers estimate 6G won’t hit popular usage until at least 2028. Samsung, for example, recently released a statement stating that it has teamed with Princeton University to research 6G technology and set standards for its future deployment.
Apple has not been idle either in 6G. In November 2023, rumors began to circulate that the company was developing its in-house 6G-capable modem. First, however, the company will have its in-house 5G modem in the iPhone SE 4. That’s a big step toward building future 6G devices and reducing its dependency on suppliers like Qualcomm. And with Apple and Samsung bringing more technological horses to the race, it’s clear the train for 6G is leaving the station.
Addressing the Challenges
However, there are still many challenges before the dawn of 6G. One is erecting new infrastructure to support these novel high-frequency networks. Current cell towers and equipment can never keep up with such high frequencies as 150GHz. That would demand redesigning of the existing network infrastructure, new transmitters, and receivers supporting operation within those larger frequency ranges.
In addition, operating at such high frequencies posed its own problems. The higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength, and that the signals do not travel as far or penetrate obstacles like walls as easily. This can make it challenging to provide consistent coverage, particularly in urban environments with many buildings or in rural areas where the distance between towers is more substantial.
To address such concerns, there would be a need to increase more cell towers or use other technologies like beamforming that focuses on the directing of signal power at wherever it is most needed. Others are also exploring the possibility of satellite extension to 6G networks, forcing global connectivity even in remote locations.
The Future Beyond 6G
Although 6G technology may have mind-boggling speeds, what is still beyond those? Will there ever be a 7G or 8G network? Today it may sound like sci-fi, but experts are already thinking about the next generations of wireless technology that could penetrate beyond communication between devices toward contact directly with the human body or even the human brain. In the near future, we may see devices that can interface with neural networks, assisting disabled people or even enhancing human cognitive capability.
We are getting ahead of ourselves, though. For now, the focus is on making 6G feasible, working with companies, researchers, and governments to develop standards and infrastructure for this next generation of wireless communication.
Final Thoughts: What This Means for You
The breakthrough of the UCL study is not the achievement of a world record in speed but rather places groundwork for the next wave of technology that may be able to shift the way we live, work, and how we interact with one another. With 6G, we could imagine that smart cities, connected devices, and immersive experiences will become the norm instead of the exception, faster data might ensure better reliability while facilitating improvements in sectors such as healthcare and education to areas as entertaining and transporting.
Ambitious as these prospects are, in significant part they depend on tempering expectations with a dose of reality: 6G is still years away, and there remains an enormous amount to be done to overcome the technical and logistical hurdles that this will likely entail-new hardware in particular, but also infrastructure renewal. Yet, given the existing momentum of current research and investment, a future for 6G seems closer than it might seem to be.
That brings me to the study which reminds me of how fast things can go, even in this transition as we await the advent of 6G. I believe it also strongly shows there are always possibilities for further improvement, even when we think nothing better can be done. At least for now, sending nearly 1TB in one second promises us a glimpse into a connected future where we can go faster and better than we imagine.