While We Wait For 5G Launch In India, Some Countries Could See 6G Launch In 2030

Last Updated on June 1, 2022 by Anu Joy

At a Davos panel discussion, Pekka Lundmark, president and CEO of Nokia, predicted that 6G networks will hit the market around 2030. He said this will be a part of the expansion of the “industrial metaverse”. This statement comes at a time when 5G hasn’t even been deployed in may parts of the world.

What Is 6G?

Sixth-generation wireless, commonly known as 6G, is the successor to 5G cellular technology. 6G networks will utilise higher frequencies than its predecessor to offer higher capacity and significantly lower latency. Various tech companies such as LG, Qualcomm, Apple, and Google have already expressed interest in 6G, but industry standards for such networks haven’t yet been defined.

6G Predictions

While Lundmark acknowledged that 5G networks are being rolled out globally, 6G isn’t too far into the future. Interestingly, he added that 6G will not be limited to smartphones, but will have other applications.

The Nokia CEO said, “Right now, we’re all building 5G networks, as we know, but by the time quantum computing is maturing for commercial applications, we’re going to be talking about 6G. By then, [2030], definitely the smartphone as we know it today will not anymore be the most common interface.”

Also Read: 5G vs 4G vs 3G vs 2G: Cellular Network Standards Explained

In an article for The Davos Agenda, he noted that in the coming decade, you can expect “augmentation of the human body with bio-digital interfaces, exoskeletons and many other innovations”. This sounds fascinating and terrifying at the same time.

Lundmark had other predictions that sounded like they came out of a sci-fi novel, “There will be the physical world and then there will be a digital world. There will be pretty much a digital twin of everything out there.” The CEO said that the shift to 6G would need a vast number of computational resources. This would include networks that are hundreds of times faster than 5G.

6G In India?

While India is yet to receive 5G connectivity, India’s Minister for Communication, Ashwini Vaishnaw, had announced last year that the country is working to develop an indigenous 6G technology. Vaishnaw added that the goal is to launch it as early as 2023 or early 2024. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at a telecom conference this month that a task force has been created to launch 6G services in India in the next ten years.