5G vs 6G spectrum comparison | thetechleap
6G isn't really available yet, but the latest specification, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 Release 2, was released in January 2022. While the average user is unlikely to replace his 5G entirely or anytime soon, 6G will build on his 5G infrastructure currently in place. The heart of 6G technology is the use of higher frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum than 5G to deliver faster data transfer speeds, less network congestion and lower latency.
The use of extended spectrum in 6G and terahertz (THz) frequencies will more efficiently support new technologies and applications, from wireless brain computing (BCI) to the Internet of Space Devices.
What is a wireless network spectrum? The spectrum of a wireless network refers to the range of radio frequencies (RF) used by Wi-Fi signals. Spectra are grouped into bands (frequency bands) that define the upper and lower frequencies within each spectrum. Within each band, a certain amount of capacity is allocated for Wi-Fi usage.
KHz, MHz, and GHz are measurements of frequency (rate in cycles per second). The frequency bands available for wireless communication typically range from 20 KHz to 300 GHz and are usually categorized as low band, mid band, and high band. The characteristics are different for low, mid, and high frequencies. A recent study by Accenture identified the following average ranges for these bands:
Low-band spectrum (3.1 GHz to 3.45 GHz) allows data to be transmitted over long distances with less signal interference. The high-band spectrum (7.125 GHz and 8.4 GHz) reduces the distance over which data can be sent, but allows faster data transmission than the low-band spectrum. The mid-band spectrum (4.4 GHz to 4.94 GHz) offers capacity somewhere between the low-band and high-band spectrums. The commonly used term sub-6 GHz usually refers to the mid-low frequency band below 6 GHz.
governing body
Frequency allocation is done by the United States. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). A full table of frequency allocations can be found here and a table summarizing those allocations can be found here.
Network generation standards are set by various governing bodies, including the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and its partners.
5G and 6G spectrum comparison
certification
Subsequent wireless generations, often referred to as upgrades or new releases, are new iterations of wireless technology with different use cases. Multiple versions may be released per generation. For example, the latest version of the 5G standard is 17.
The original 6G standard covered the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. The 6E standard (“E” stands for Extended) extended 6G capacity to the 6 GHz band, allowing up to 1,200 MHz of additional spectrum. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 Release 2 covers all three bands for simplicity.
5G - specified in the IEEE 802.11ac standard
6G - Specified in the IEEE 802.11ax standard
typical device
5G – smartphones, PCs, laptops, sensors, drones. 6G – self-driving cars, mobile phones, Wi-Fi implants (tiny microchips that use NFC to communicate in retail stores), public infrastructure such as traffic and weather systems.
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Use cases
Use Case
5G was developed to support the growing Internet of Things (IoT). It is designed to support intelligent applications such as smart agriculture and smart cities, telemedicine, virtual reality, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and sensor-based applications such as immersive gaming. However, the frequencies in use are becoming more and more congested and unable to efficiently support some new technologies.
Designed to accelerate IoT systems, 6G is being used in business and industrial sectors to expand the capabilities of edge computing devices, military, holographic communications, remotely operated driving, connected robotics, and autonomous systems (CRAS). Widely deployed. and Wireless Brain Computing (BCI) devices and digital twins. 6G is envisioned to play a central role in IoST, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and cubesats (small satellites). Used in personal spaces such as autonomous systems, haptic and sensory devices, and advanced augmented reality (XR) applications. The vision of 6G is to support the Internet of Everything (IoE). 6G will support Mobile Broadband Reliable Low Latency Communications (MBR LLC) to reduce latency and improve power efficiency for mobile applications.
Maximum frequency
A band includes a range of frequencies, sometimes called a wavelength.
5G – 100GHz
6G to 10 terahertz
Maximum bandwidth
Bandwidth is the size of the band, i.e. the highest available frequency minus the lowest frequency. 6G will use higher frequency bands than 5G, resulting in much higher speeds and higher throughput. Wireless network throughput is a measure of the data actually transferred between network devices, while bandwidth refers to the network's theoretical capacity to transfer data. This theoretical capacity is much higher than what users can actually expect. Signal interference, physical obstructions, and distance between devices and wireless access points (APs) all have a negative impact on actual throughput.
5G – 1GHz
6G-100GHz
Peak data rate
Data transfer rate refers to the maximum speed at which data can be transferred. These numbers indicate the potential capacity associated with standards, which are rarely consistently achieved in practice. Kbps, Mbps, and Gbps are measures of bandwidth speed. Gigabytes per second is commonly written as GBps, where gigabytes per second is preceded by a lowercase 'b'. A byte is 8 bits, so a download speed of 20 Gbps (20 Gbps) is equivalent to 2.5 Gbps (2.5 Gbps).
5G – 10 Gbps (upload link) to 20 Gbps (download link). 6G – 100Gbps to 1Tbps.
Average data rate experienced by users
5G – 100Mbps.
6G – 1Gbps.
Highest spectral efficiency
Spectral efficiency measures the amount of data that can be transmitted to a defined number of users or services within a given bandwidth in a defined geographical area. Measured in (bits/second)/Hz.
5G – 30bps/Hz.
6G - 60bps/Hz.
User Experienced Average Spectral Efficiency
5G - 0.03bps/Hz.
6G - 3bps/Hz.
mobility support
· 5G – up to 500km/h.
6G – up to 1000km/h.
density
5G – 1 device per m2.
6G – 100 devices per m2.
end-to-end latency
Refers to the time from request to response. 5G – 1-10 ms.
6G – less than 1 ms.
Single frequency full duplex transmission
Full duplex means bi-directional traffic is enabled, and data can be sent and received on the same frequency at the same time, potentially saving 50% on frequency requirements.
5G – no.
6G - yes.
global coverage
5G - More than 70 countries are rolling out his 5G, with China and the US leading the cities.
· 6G – China has the highest number of 6G patent applications, followed by the United States.
Conclusion
IoT has been around for a while, but 5G has not been very efficient due to under-allocation and consequent congestion on certain frequencies. 6G aims to extend the range, capacity, speed and power efficiency of 5G. It is predicted that 6G could mark the end of the smartphone era. Instead, we will move to using wearable technology and, according to Bill Gates, electronic tattoos. However, some experts claim that even 6G can't handle portable Wi-Fi. Could 7G replace his use of 6G?
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