Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, and NTT announced that they have achieved two key technological milestones on the path to 6G.
While much of the channel is trying to flog 5G, vendors are worried about what will come next and it looks like the future will be artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into the radio air interface.
This will mean 6G radios will have the ability to learn using the new sub-terahertz (sub-THz) spectrum to boost network capacity dramatically.
The AI-native air interface and sub-THz spectrum are both critical research topics that Nokia, DOCOMO and NTT are exploring for future 6G networks.
These technologies could pave the way for new immersive metaverse and extended reality (XR) experiences and a new generation of mobile applications.
The companies have implemented both technologies as proofs of concept at Nokia Bell Labs in Stuttgart, Germany, and Nokia and DOCOMO will demonstrate both technologies at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Feb. 27 – March 2.
By pairing a AI-based learned waveform in a transmitter with a deep-learning receiver, Nokia Bell Labs, DOCOMO and NTT researchers were able to design and implement a learning air interface that transmits data efficiently under many different scenarios. This AI/ML-based implementation significantly reduces signalling overhead, producing up to a 30 per cent improvement in throughput.
In addition, the AI-native air interface will grant 6G networks the flexibility to adapt to the type of connection demanded by an application, device or user. For instance, a network in a factory can be optimized for industrial sensors at one moment and then reconfigured for robotic systems or video surveillance. In the public network, an AI-enhanced network can provide an optimized connection for a pedestrian in an XR session as well as an emergency vehicle traveling at high speed.
Nokia, DOCOMO and NTT first launched their 6G partnership in June, 2022, with the aim of jointly defining and developing key technologies for the next generation of networking. The collaboration continues a long history of pioneering between DOCOMO and Nokia. Starting with 3G in the 1990s, to 4G, and to today’s 5G including collaboration in 5G O-RAN, the companies have turned ideas into implementations and pushed boundaries to create optimised experiences for end users.
Takehiro Nakamura, Chief Technology Architect, DOCOMO, said: “We are delighted to announce the steady progress of two key technologies toward 6G as achievements of the collaboration with NTT and Nokia started in June 2022. Through the collaboration, we continue to establish innovative 6G technologies and contribute to the global standardisation and commercialization of 6G.”
Peter Vetter, President of Bell Labs Core Research, Nokia, said: “For the 6G era, we are using communication as a starting point. Networks will think, sense and act, and they will become the nexus point that bridges our digital and physical realities. DOCOMO and NTT share our 6G vision, and together we’re doing the fundamental research that will breath life into that future.”
