Space for 6G

6G is the sixth generation of mobile communication networks currently under standardisation and development.

In a world that’s ever more reliant on constant connection, 6G is the next step towards meeting demands of interconnected economy – both in Europe and globally, for today and tomorrow. With the promise of 6G, global connectivity has the potential to revolutionise services across all sectors, from government to agriculture, from scientific research to emergency rescue and medical response.

The convergence of satellite and terrestrial communications promises to provide an unrivalled user experience through seamless hyper-connectivity with the key approach of providing unlimited, ultra-fast, and ubiquitous communications.

Just as it has done for its 5G satellite partners, ESA will provide the framework for its industrial partners to succeed in the 6G economy. Research and development for state-of-the-art satellite technology aimed at the 6G market. Part of this rollout will be the successful implementation of governmental advisory board requirements, coordination of work plans for 6G and a unified strategy for seamless integration of terrestrial and satellite infrastructure.

6G and sustainability

6G is projected to become a fundamental building block in the development of a prosperous future. The 6G era will give rise to hundreds of new services and enhance the capabilities of existing technologies, allowing them not only to improve our individual lives but also to perpetuate environmental goals with the firm intention of leaving a positive ecological footprint.

Sustainability will be an inherent pillar of 6G, as evidenced by goals including bridging the digital divide, ensuring quality education, sustainable cities, and clean energy; this requires a more interconnected environment. This will only be possible when exploiting future 6G terrestrial and satellite converged networks to support sustainability.

6G Challenges

The vulnerability to climate and terrain features remains an area for improvement of 6G reliability, nevertheless, there are numerous studies focused on strengthening future networks by facing these challenges. Hence, technologies such as Massive Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) or beamforming will play an essential role in the standardisation and development of 6G to face the challenges posed by this future network.

To fully unlock the potential of 6G, there are still some challenges ahead, the most important being the integration of EHF and THz frequency bands in 6G communications, which have always been limited by high penetration losses due to obstacles, water vapour or even oxygen, will result in a new complex 6G network architecture. 

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