6G technology is on its way, and we are getting closer and closer to making it a reality. Its development promises major advances in several technological sectors, specifically in mobility.
But what Is 6G technology and What Will It Look Like? In effect, its nothing more than a natural progression from its successor 5G cellular technology towards faster and better connectivity. It will use higher frequency bands and very fast, simple cloud-based network technology to deliver record speeds and microsecond latency.
But perhaps, one of the most important advances of 6G, is that it will be used for technologies such as automated cars and smart home networks and not only for mobile phones. This new technology will help to create seamless connectivity between the internet and everyday life.
How will 6G affect the electric car industry?
Autonomous cars are already on the road in some parts of the world, as a pilot project and in different modes of independence, but they still seem far from being mass-market.
However, with the advent of 6G connectivity this could become a reality, obtaining and analysing information from cameras and sensors, managing all kinds of situations that we can find on the roads on a daily basis.
But what exactly are the changes that 6G brings to the automotive sector?
– Connectivity: due to the high transmission speeds of 6G networks, connectivity will be more than real-time, so fleet management efficiency will be higher.
– Autonomous cars: with 6G networks, communication between autonomous cars and infrastructure systems will enable more accurate or better decision-making in real time.
– Mobility: 6G will make mobility services more efficient, e.g. parking space reservations, timely car-sharing and route planning.
– Entertainment: 6G networks will take access to high-definition content and in-car Internet browsing to a new level.
– Communication: Next generation 6G networks will allow cars to communicate with each other, increasing road safety and coordination between cars.
As a conclusion, 6G networks could be a key enabler of connected mobility, improving road safety, fleet management efficiency, car monitoring and entertainment.
Bosch and the ‘6G-ICAS4Mobility’ project
Bosch has announced that it is exploring next-generation 6G technology through a project called ‘6G-ICAS4Mobility’, as an evolution to the current 5G technology. The three-year project is being publicly funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research to the tune of €10 million, or 70% of the project costs.
How does it work? The car will have a series of sensors and radar attached to it. It will make a readout of this data, a precise digital image that cars will send to the cloud. The other cars will access this data individually.
The main goal is to ensure that autonomous cars are able to reliably exchange data with each other and with their environment. This includes sensors and the ability to closely interconnect communication and radar systems, which currently operate separately, by integrating them into a single system.
Bosch says: “Tighter integration of communication and sensor-based environmental awareness will improve road safety and increase efficiency”. Bosch’s head of IoT communication technologies and head of the Bosch 6G programme, Andreas Müller, said:
“The shared use of wireless spectrum, hardware and signal processing makes it possible to implement all systems much more efficiently overall and significantly save costs and energy at the same time.”
Müller adds that the link enabling direct communication between two vehicles can be used independently of the existing mobile communications infrastructure, thus enabling autonomous driving in regions with poor coverage.
Do we really need 6G technology?
Although, 6G technology is not there yet, it seems that it will be very much needed. In an increasingly digitised economy, the existence of this type of service can be a major factor in terms of wealth.
As a result, states are already moving to adapt technology to the potential arrival of 6G connectivity. Countries such as Germany have already developed investment programmes worth €700 million, while the European Union as a whole is doing the same by investing up to €900 million.
Tech Teamz engineering teams are working closely with our customers to develop the technologies and products that will enable the connectivity of the vehicle fleets of the future, as well as ensuring that autonomous car projects meet all cyber security requirements.
In addition, we also have engineering teams working on the development of the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) protocol, which is a type of Bluetooth that consumes much less energy, approximately 10% compared to classic Bluetooth.
This new age technology will undoubtedly give a new dimension to the way we live or communicate, turning the world into a hyper-connected space.
