Ericsson Conducts First Live 6G Trial in US
Ericsson completed what it calls the world's first live 6G trial at its facility in Texas. The demonstration showcased AI-native 6G technology powering robotics and real-time video streaming using new centimeter-wave spectrum and cloud-native infrastructure. The milestone supports the development of future infrastructure designed for advanced AI applications.
The recent 6G trial leverages the centimetric wave (cmWave) spectrum, specifically the 7 to 15 GHz range. This part of the spectrum is considered ideal for early 6G systems because it offers a balance of high capacity and good coverage, with propagation characteristics similar to the mid-band frequencies used in 5G. This allows for increased network capacity without requiring a significant increase in cell site density. While 5G operates on frequencies up to around 40 GHz, 6G aims to utilize a much broader range, including sub-terahertz (90-300 GHz) and even terahertz frequencies. These higher frequencies are key to achieving the massive bandwidth needed for theoretical 6G speeds of up to 1 terabit per second (Tbps), a significant leap from 5G's peak of 10-20 Gbps. This will also enable latency to drop from 1 millisecond in 5G to as low as 0.1 milliseconds in 6G. The move to AI-native infrastructure is a core component of the 6G vision, with companies like Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung heavily investing in AI-powered network optimization. This involves using artificial intelligence for predictive traffic forecasting, efficient resource management, and even real-time, intelligent task scheduling to boost network efficiency. The goal is to create networks that are not just faster, but also predictive, automated, and self-healing. This trial puts Ericsson among a host of global players, including Nokia, Samsung, and Huawei, all racing toward 6G. While this was a pre-standard trial, the formal 6G standardization process is underway. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and 3GPP have established a timeline that projects the first 6G specifications to be finalized around 2028, with initial commercial deployments expected by 2030.
