White House begins early planning for 6G development

CNN

The White House will meet with government officials, leaders of business and academics on Friday to discuss strategies to build out 6G wireless technology as well as lessons learned from 5G.

It is unlikely that 6G will arrive for many years, but the effort of the US administration is part of an attempt to beat China in the wireless connectivity race, and to re-establish America as a global leader.

A security official from the Biden administration told reporters during a Thursday night press conference that it was important to start looking at these issues as soon as possible.

The White House is looking to apply the lessons from 5G, such as the importance of early engagement and resilience, to the development of a 6G system that optimizes performance, security, and accessibility.

The new 5G technology promises a significant improvement in performance compared to 4G. It offers faster speeds, greater reliability, and no lag time. This opens the door for everything from safer transportation and new surgical procedures to immersive video games.

The US 5G infrastructure is almost complete. Only a few carriers have launched 5G services by 2022. However, consumer adoption in the US still lags 4G. ABI Research predicts that more than 270 millions subscribers will be using 4G connectivity by 2023 compared to less than 170 million 5G users.

China is one of those countries that has gained more traction. Leo Gergs of ABI Research says that conditions in China do not directly compare to those in the US because the Chinese government exerts a greater influence on business decisions.

Gergs explained that the slower development of 5G infrastructure in the US is also responsible for the lower adoption rate. In turn, 5G networks may be less powerful and consumers might not feel the need to pay more for 5G connectivity.

Gergs stated that 'for consumers, the performance of the 4G connection is good enough so that they will be less willing to pay a fee to get the lower latencies and faster data rates promised by 5G'.

Uncertainty surrounds the 6G standard. The administration stated that it believes it can achieve faster networks by combining AI, advanced semiconductor chips and cloud computing with elements like AI, advanced software and advanced software.

Gergs noted that the early government focus on 6G risks making this future technology more popular and making it harder for carriers today to convince consumers to upgrade their existing subscriptions to 5G.

He said that the wireless industry is in a 'delicate situation'.