The 6G fund will aim to provide financial support for 6G research and development for a number of years
The government of Japan is setting up a fund to foster research activities into future 6G communications systems, according to Nikkei Asia.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will earmark JPY 66.2 billion ($450 million) in the second supplementary budget for fiscal 2023 for the initial establishment of this special fund, according to the report.
The 6G fund will be administered by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology. It will aim to provide financial support for 6G research and development for a number of years.
Japanese companies NTT Docomo, NTT, NEC, Fujitsu and Finnish telecom equipment maker Nokia had previously announced plans to conduct experimental trials of new mobile communications technologies for the targeted commercial launch of as-yet-unstandardized 6G services by around 2030. Docomo and NTT said they will begin conducting indoor trials within the fiscal year ending in March 2023, while outdoor trials will begin in the following fiscal year.
In May, Japan’s Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium (B5GPC) and ATIS’ Next G Alliance have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate on future 6G wireless networks. The Japanese consortium had previously signed a similar 6G cooperation agreement with Europe’s 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association.
In September, the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) of Japan and the University of Oulu in Finland agreed on collaboration in the ICT field, particularly with respect to “beyond 5G” and 6G technologies.
The initial 6G testbeds are expected to occur by 2026 while the first standards of this technology will be around 2028, Latva-aho previously told RCR Wireless News.
“Now is the time for 6G research, to identify promising technologies and define directions and requirements for future, as it takes several years to identify, to verify and to propose such technologies. The industry has already started collaborating with leading 6G academic research programs. As the next step, we must jointly define the directions both for technology solutions and technical and other requirements for 6G. Hopefully, 6G will not get overhyped as it happened with 3G and 5G in the past,” Latva-aho said.
Commenting on what would be the potential main features of 6G technology and what future use cases will be enabled by this technology, Latva-aho noted that he sees two main directions for 6G. Mobile broadband beyond 5G to enable immersive user experience, and massive machine type connectivity solutions to be available also for consumer markets. “The latter is needed for massive automation of future digital societies also supporting sustainable development. Global connectivity for remote areas has remained unsolved, and it has to be taken into account from a service continuity point of view in addition to sustainable development perspectives. Professional use cases come first, but businesses will scale up only with services and applications offered for consumers. Maybe the entertainment industry will play an important role in the consumer sector. In professional use, critical infrastructures are likely to lead the way,” he said.
