We have been enjoying the benefits of 5G technology for a few years . And a few months with its expanded version, 5G+. But, as often happens in this sector, its successor, 6G, is already being developed. The sixth generation of mobile networks. And one of the closest projects on this future technology is ENABLE 6G . So close that it is based in Spain.
The ENABLE 6G project is carried out by the IMDEA Networks Institute , based in Madrid, Spain. A development and innovation center that is in charge of making the ambitious plans that the European Union has to be a reality in the telecommunications sector when we deploy the 6G standard , still in the gestation phase. And to make this possible, IMDEA has the collaboration of Telefónica, NEC and BlueSpecs. Also with financing from the European Union through NextGenerationEU. And from the Ministry of Economy and Digital Transformation through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
This project focuses mainly on two areas. On the one hand, in the improvements that 6G will bring in aspects such as speed, efficiency, low energy consumption, security, low latency or privacy. And, on the other hand, in promoting the use of machine learning to maintain the privacy of mobile networks. While being able to handle millions of data.
ENABLE 6G: anticipating the future
When we started talking about the possibilities that 5G offered, we talked about technologies that we had not yet seen. Technologies such as edge computing , machine learning, autonomous vehicles , smart cities, virtual reality and augmented reality … today, some of them are already on the streets. Others are being developed in laboratories and companies around the world. And others continue to be talked about as something that will arrive sooner rather than later.
Precisely, 6G has the responsibility of taking over from the 5G telecommunications standard. And thus facilitate the implementation of the aforementioned technologies and others that are yet to come. Hence the ENABLE 6G project, announced in April of this year and which was created to collaborate in the implementation of cutting-edge technologies thanks to advanced mobile networks such as 5G and the future 6G.
6G networks will be more complex, intelligent, adaptable and offer more and better services. Added to greater performance while consuming less energy. And, of course, respecting the security and privacy of all the actors involved. Both from users and from companies and public and private organizations.
And beyond 6G itself, ENABLE 6G also wants to work on technologies such as reconfigurable smart surfaces , visible light communications, radio frequency backscattering, expanding the use made so far of the radio spectrum, enhancing ultra-low latency or making it more precise still device location . Technologies related, in part, to mobile networks, or that will rely on them to function.
