Company Now Able to Wirelessly Transmit and Receive 6G THz Data
Over a Distance of 320 Meters
SEOUL, Sep. 14, 2022 — LG Electronics (LG) has reaffirmed its global leadership in mobile network technology, successfully testing the wireless transmission and reception of 6G terahertz (THz) data – at a frequency range of 155 to 175 GHz – over a distance of 320 meters outdoors.
The milestone, achieved on September 7 at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) in Berlin, Germany, represents a significant step toward commercializing 6G THz in both indoor and outdoor urban areas since the reference cell coverage of base stations for urban macro cells is a distance of approximately 250 meters outdoors. It is also a major jump from August last year, when LG proved it could transfer 6G THz data over a distance of 100 meters outdoors.
6G, which leverages ultra-wideband frequencies, has a relatively short range and can experience power loss from transmission to reception. To solve these problems, LG, Fraunhofer HHI, and Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics (IAF) have co-developed a power amplifier capable of increasing transmission strength, and a receiver low-noise amplifier that improves incoming signal quality.
Used in the recent demonstration, the organizations’ multi-channel power amplifier has an output of more than 20dBm, an increase of over 5dBm from the solution LG and Fraunhofer HHI & IAF deployed in the previous trial. Also utilized was a receiver low-noise amplifier that minimizes noise generation for reception signal. These new technologies have been integrated into LG’s latest module design, which has been highly capable of future IC (Integrated Circuit) fabrication to help ease the path towards future commercialization.
“With the success of our latest demonstration, we are one step closer to realizing 6G speeds of 1 terabit (TB) per second in both indoor and outdoor urban areas,” said Dr. Kim Byoung-hoon, CTO and executive vice president of LG Electronics. “LG will continue to cooperate with research institutes and industry innovators to further solidify its leadership in 6G technology. We expect 6G to be a major driver of future business and new user experiences, and there is no place we’d rather be than at the forefront of its development.”
LG plans to announce the full results of its latest 6G communications test and present an overview of the technology’s development so far at the upcoming 6G Grand Summit, set to take place at the LG Science Park in Seoul on September 23. The company is hosting the event in collaboration with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS).
Discussions on 6G network standardization are expected to begin around 2025, with commercialization of the technology slated for 2029. Compared to 5G wireless networks, 6G will deliver far better data transfer speeds with lower latency and higher reliability.
Global companies are racing to enter the 6G space given the key role it will play in enabling all kinds of innovations, from ultra-realistic mobile holograms to the next phase of IoT (Internet of Things) and ambient computing, which will provide more adaptive, personalized experiences by organically connecting people, objects and spaces.
To ensure its continued leadership in 6G, LG is actively cooperating with respected research institutes, universities and businesses from all over the world. The company also aims to establish ‘R&D cooperation belts’ for 6G core technologies, working hand-in-hand with organizations, including Fraunhofer HHI& IAF, KAIST, KRISS and Keysight Technologies, Inc., to hasten the arrival of the next generation of wireless network communications.
Furthermore, in June 2021, LG was selected by the Next G Alliance, an initiative of the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), to lead an applications working group to discuss 6G technologies and guide the future direction of 6G telecommunications services.
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