French telecom equipment manufacturer, Radiall, recently released conceptual designs described as a vision for 6G network connectivity. Developed by its team at the CEA-Leti 5G & Beyond Common Lab, Radiall’s concept is outlined in the research paper titled “Aggregated Massive Modular Paradigm: A 6G Telecom Infrastructure Vision.”
Radiall’s team calls for a major shift in cellular infrastructure by proposing the use of multiple small antennas as opposed to the large antennas relied on by 5G and older systems.
As reported by Venture Beat, Radiall’s research provides a diagram for the evolution of future network generations. Whereas traditional cellular devices rely on a dual hub and spoke system to connect devices to a network, Radiall proposes future base stations connect to one another — potentially using millimeter wave connections rather than fiber. This reliance on a single base station for data will allow devices to connect to two or more base stations at once – a multi-connectivity system that would create “micro-cells.”
According to Radiall’s research, moving to the micro-cell system would enable cellular networks to use the “building blocks” that already contain the same small and affordable transmit/receive modules already used in smartphones.
Yet to be determined, however, is how the network will link and coordinate activities distributed across access points – partially wireless or fully wired. Radiall’s research indicates that terahertz radio spectrum will play a role in the next standard.
Expected to appear in a future IEEE publication, Radiall’s team says their research is a vision open for discussion on how to further develop and conclude the concepts for 6G.
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