Sustainability, connectivity, intelligence, and security: This is the path to 6G

INESC TEC Science Bits – Episode 42

Link to the episode (Portuguese only)

Guest: Luís Pessoa, Researcher at INESC TEC and Professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto

Keywords: wireless communications, 6G, TERRAMETA, CONVERGE, SUPERIOT, sensing, computer vision, machine learning, antennas, sustainability

In March this year, ANACOM announced the arrival of 5G in all municipalities of the country and almost 70% of the parishes. After the commercial launch of the fifth generation of mobile networks, and the installation of the first base stations in Portugal at the end of 2021, the National Communications Authority reported that there are nearly 9000 base stations installed nationwide. These base stations are characterised as radiocommunication stations with at least one 5G mobile technology transmitter.

While the implementation of this fifth generation of mobile networks is still ongoing, the path to the sixth generation is already starting – with 2030 as the starting point of the 6G era. This era promises to revolutionise what we know as connectivity – data transmission will be faster, while latency will become lower, with the integration of Artificial Intelligence -, influencing different sectors of society. Examples include the autonomous vehicle market, industrial automation, remote surgery, and the use of holograms. However, the path ahead also seems to bring a set of challenges – namely concerning cybersecurity, privacy, and energy efficiency.

At INESC TEC, researchers are working to help build this path toward the sixth generation of wireless communications. How? That’s what we will discover in a conversation with Luís Pessoa, researcher at INESC TEC and professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto. We will learn about the ongoing work within the TERRAMETA, CONVERGE, and SUPERIOT projects, as well as all research activities towards the development of 6G, and what we can expect in this area by the end of this decade.