Japanese carriers NTT Docomo, KDDI, SoftBank Group and Rakuten Mobile are also part of this 6G initiative
Toyota Motor, NEC and other Japanese companies will join a government-backed group to propose technological requirements for future 6G wireless communications, Nikkei Asia reported.
The technical proposal is expected to be released soon by the Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium. The group includes Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as well as academic institutions and private companies like Panasonic, NTT Docomo, KDDI, SoftBank Group and Rakuten Mobile.
The group will work on specific requirements for individual fields and applications. The consortium will call for common targets to be met by companies worldwide to guarantee that 6G communications are secure and reliable.
The Japanese proposal will be submitted to a June meeting of a working group within the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The working group plans to establish technical requirements for 6G networks by June 2023, and will use these as a base to define specifications for particular applications, according to the report.
An international team of researchers from Japan and Finland will work to develop technologies and standards for future 6G technologies as part of a joint research agreement between the two countries. In November 2021, Japan and Finland had initiated a bilateral partnership through a collaboration between the University of Tokyo and the University of Oulu in Finland. Over the next few years, a roadmap for the 6G standard will be created, and research into the technological components carried out.
According to the University of Tokyo, some areas of life that could benefit from 6G include healthcare, where low-power embedded sensors could communicate health data in real time to doctors, or even disaster response, as integration with satellite platforms means that if ground-based infrastructure is damaged then essential communication can be maintained. This is especially important in countries like Japan where earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and even volcanoes are very real hazards that affect peoples’ lives.
Many other countries, including South Korea, China, the European Union, and the United States have also launched projects, programs, and alliances to shape the 6G framework and main business focus.
The initial commercial deployments of 6G technology are forecast to take place between 2028 and 2029, according to global tech market advisory firm ABI Research.
The research firm also said it expects the first standards for 6G to be ready by 2026.
RCR Wireless News published an editorial report about future 6G technology dubbed “Is it really time to start talking about 6G?”, in which key industry leaders and analysts talk about the initial efforts towards the future development of 6G. Click here to access the report.
