The next generation of 6G mobile networks is not generating as much enthusiasm as its predecessors, even to the point of questioning its legitimacy.
The 5G telecommunications network is still very new in France, with most French people only having access to it for around two years. However, the telecommunications sector is already working on 6G, the deployment of which is scheduled in Europe and throughout the world by 2030. An even faster network, the usefulness of which some specialists question, the innovations accompanying 5G not yet particularly salient. So what’s the point of running to a new network?
A 5G for the moment still sterile
The history of the development of telephony is inseparable from that of its generations of mobile networks. So, if SMS were able to see the light of day with 2G, the oldest still remember the revolution that was 3G, thanks to which photos and videos could be exchanged. 4G is the one whose contribution is the least discussed, since it transformed our phones into real small computers, the smartphone becoming at that time much more important than PCs.
5G currently pales in comparison, the latter not currently being linked to any revolution similar to the one mentioned just above. However, according to figures from FFTélécoms, this new generation has required a total investment from French operators of 11 billion euros since 2020, in order to build new antennas. And this without obtaining a corresponding increase in income. Enough to make them more skeptical about 6G.
Incremental innovation instead of generational leap?
“ 6G must be a continuous progression, but not necessarily a generational leap » explains thus to the Echoes the director of technology and innovation at Orange Bruno Zerbib. And to justify his assertion, he explains that 5G has to date only served to improve the quality of the country’s telecommunications network.
“ For the moment, 5G has mainly made it possible to unclog 4G networks » he sums up. Other voices in Europe have also expressed their skepticism about the future 6G, and wish to return to a more incremental model. “ Moving forward with ten-year cycles and ten times better performance compared to the previous cycle [ne semble] not a sustainable model » had already indicated the director of research at BT Maria Cuevas. Criticisms that will be expressed again next February, during the 2024 edition of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona?
Source : The echoes
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