TL; DR
- LG has successfully tested the 6G-THz data transmission at a distance of 100m.
- A special power amplifier was used to deal with the signal drop.
- 6G is unlikely to hit the market until 2028.
Although 5G is widespread, it is still a pipe dream for most smartphone owners, LG says it has taken a significant step towards the development of 6G by transferring data in the terahertz range (THz) outdoors in Berlin transmits a distance of 100 m or 328 feet.
The problem with 6G THz was previously a rapid drop, which the test, according to LG, solved with a power amplifier that was developed in cooperation with Fraunhofer HHI and the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics. The amplifier can generate a stable signal up to 15 dBm (decibel milliwatt) in frequencies between 155 and 175 GHz.
LG adds that 6G is set to become a global standard in 2025, but isn’t expected to hit the commercial market until then until 2029. Samsung aims to deliver 6G in 2028 with a top speed of 1 Gbps, which is equivalent to the performance of fixed line fiber services.
The problems with 6G THz broadcasts mirror those with the mmWave variant of 5G. While mmWave currently offers the fastest cellular speeds, its range is so great that carriers often have to cover an area with transmitters to make it reliable, and the technology is usually lacking outside of major urban centers. It is also easily stopped by buildings and can be hindered by the weather, so connections often fall back on normal 5G or 4G.
Improvements in 5G and 6G are often associated with visions of the future such as high-fidelity augmented reality, everyday remote operations or self-driving cars that talk to each other. All of these technologies require minimizing latency, which is difficult with any type of cellular network.