Earlier this month, the Chinese government-backed technology research and development (R&D) group Purple Mountain Lab announced a massive breakthrough in wireless telecoms technology.
In a report from the South China Morning Post, scientists at the Chinese lab broke world records with ground-breaking tests in wireless, real-time 6G transmissions.
According to the tests, 6G transmission tests reached speeds of up to 206.25 gigabits per second, or 10 to 20 times faster than 5G wireless communications.
At the moment, the record-breaking tests are only for research purposes, although commercial 6G is to expected at the end of 2028, according to a 2021 ABI report.
Additionally, by using terahertz technology, the Chinese research lab has reported on wireless communications speeds that reach up to 360-430 gigahertz. The Purple Mountain Lab team achieved this impressive feat by using a custom-built in house remote communication system.
Terahertz Technology
Purple Mountain Lab technicians are exploiting terahertz technology to enable the world’s fastest wireless communications. Emerging terahertz-based wireless systems mark the next step in radio wave remote communications, measured in ‘hertz’.
Currently, telecoms providers measure 5G bandwidths in gigahertz—the equivalent of a billion hertz—and Purple Mountain Labs 6G breakthrough is a massive jump using up to a trillion hertz.
The high-speed connections will enable individuals to stream real-time 3D (RT3D) content with little to no latency or connection problems, allowing individuals to experience Metaverse, augmented, and mixed reality (AR/MR) content without offload processing power to spatial computing devices.
Instead, individuals can stream high-quality, web-based RT3D immersive content directly to mobile devices such as smartphones or AR smart glasses.
In a statement, Jiancao Hou, 5G & Mobile Network Infrastructure Senior Analyst at ABI Research, said,
“[XR] is a promising solution for 6G to create a mixed real and virtual environment with either real-time or non-real-time human-machine interaction. In the 2030s, 6G could be the key enabler to realizing ubiquitous connectivity”
The news comes after, the Shanxi Province-based ‘Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center’ sent up the words-first 6G satellite in 2020. According to reports, the 6G-satellite is 100 times faster than 5G and this allows for the delivery of smart cities, Metaverse experiences, as well as RT3D immersive content.
In 2021, internationally recognised telecommunications firm Huawei reported that 6G and eMBB+ technology is vital to building the metaverse.
Empowering XR with 5G, Today
Currently, breakthroughs in powerful 5G-based wireless streaming technologies are quickly changing the way in which virtual reality (VR), AR, MR hardware and software vendors are approaching RT3D content distribution.
In October of last year, Ken Hu, Huawei’s Rotating Chairman, urged industry leaders to adopt enterprise-grade use cases for 5G and according to a 2021 report by Ericsson, XR-based 5G use cases would offer “massive potential.”
During last year’s VR/AR Association’s (VRARA) Global Summit Europe event, representatives from VRARA, Nokia, Latvijas Mobilais Telefons, Vodafone, and Deutsche Telekom USA also stressed the need to meet the rising global demand for XR experiences with new 5G technologies.
Heading into the current decade, telecom providers such as T-Mobile are working hard to support software developers in creating 5G-enhanced XR experiences.
In an interview with XR Today, Mani Srinivasan, Chief Business Officer, TRIPP, explained how his health and wellness firm took part in T-Mobile’s 2021 Fall Wellness Accelerator Programme to promote 5G-empowered immersive wellness applications.
Additionally, in a November 2021 roundtable discussion, thought leaders from NVIDIA, Holo-Light, Varjo, TRIPP, and HaptX explored how emerging 5G technologies could greatly improve XR immersive experiences and solutions.
