Not yet used to 5G? “We are already working on 6G”

While the rollout of 5G is in full swing in the Netherlands and has yet to start in many countries, sales manager Ben Maarleveld of Rohde & Schwarz Benelux is already thinking about the next mobile network technology: 6G. “Developments are happening very quickly. While our developers are putting the finishing touches on the test and measurement equipment required for the 5G network, we are already working on its successor in our minds.”

“The 6G technology will use even higher frequencies than 5G, with greater download speeds,” says Maarleveld. “This makes it technically possible to connect many more devices to one network.” Particularly companies that depend on internet of things (IoT) will benefit from this, including the telecom industry, automotivecompanies and the test and measurementsector.  

Leapfrogging

A new generation of network technology requires major adjustments from developers, manufacturers and customers of test and measurement equipment. And that while most people still have 4G on their phone. Maarleveld does not see this as a problem but as a challenge. “In this field leapfrogging important. We always try to keep up with our developments or be just further ahead than what the market is asking for at that moment. If you stand still, you are behind.”  

Conversation of the day

“When I started at Rohde & Schwarz in the early 1990s, the second generation (2G) mobile phone had just been introduced. Before that, we all carried a large 1G telephone that uses analogue radio signals,” Maarleveld explains. “With 2G we were introduced to digital mobile signals for the first time and it caused a revolution. Around the turn of the century, we switched en masse to 3G worldwide, a decade later to 4G and now 5G is the talk of the town. So you see that about every ten years a new mobile technology is rolled out with more functionality and higher data speeds. It is expected that 6G will come into use around 2030.”

To research

The research that should make this possible is in full swing and is sometimes already at an advanced stage. There are even Asian companies that are already experimenting with 6G in practice. But it is not only Asia that is working hard on the network of the future. Dutch companies are internationally progressive when it comes to RF technology. “Take, for example, a company like Lightyear, which is a spin-off of the Solar Team of TU Eindhoven,” Maarleveld continues. “They have developed an electric car that charges its own battery via solar panels on the roof. In addition, these types of modern cars have a lot of RF electronics under the hood and this will only increase in the future.

RF Technology Event

According to Maarleveld, test and measurement equipment plays an essential role in the development of new RF technologies. “Technology developers need us and we need them. It's always one rat race whoever finishes first.” To stay informed of the latest developments in the field, Rohde & Schwarz will again be present this year with a stand and lecture at the RF Technology Event on March 29 in the QuTech Aula of TU Delft. Maarleveld: “Testing and measuring 5G and 6G equipment will certainly be discussed during the event.”   

Information and registration
Would you like to meet progressive test and measurement companies? Register now for free for the RF Technology Event in Delft. Click here for more information.