The outline of the government's comprehensive strategy for "6G," which is expected to replace the current "5G" in the 2030s, has been revealed. By accelerating its development, the government aims to create an infrastructure for telework and telemedicine.
The government aims to establish key technologies in five years by establishing a base for research and development with industry, implementing drastic deregulation and providing financial support. The government also plans to expedite the construction of a 5G communications network, which was launched this spring.
According to the strategic draft, the government and the private sector will work together to develop and implement 6G nationwide and still complete the construction of a 5G network.
To achieve this goal, the government, industry and academia will bring together various technologies and "research and develop a platform beyond 5G."
The government plans to revise the Radio Law to make it easier to conduct experiments and support the project with tax breaks.
Currently, there is no standard for 6G, but the strategy calls for a transmission speed that is 1,000 times faster than the current 4G, and a transmission delay of 1/100. The new network of 6G is set to be used at sea, in the air and in space.
The government will also speed up the construction of 5G communications networks. By the end of March 2024, the number of 5G base stations will be tripled from the current plan of 70,000 by reexamining the installation of base stations this summer. The government aims to create 44 trillion yen in added value by fiscal 2030 by accelerating the adoption of 5G.
The government plans to offer bold financial support to the 6G telecommunications standard to take the lead in the global technological development race.
The move is made in an attempt to establish 6G communications networks ahead of other countries, like the United States, China, South Korea and others, which are ahead of Japan in the launch and usage of 5G networks.
The strategy was drawn up by a panel of experts under the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry called the "Beyond 5G promotion strategy panel," chaired by Makoto Gonokami, President of the University of Tokyo. The draft calls for realizing 6G as a growth strategy, aiming to speed up communications 10 times faster than 5G and to reduce delays to 1/10.
It envisages a society where people can connect their various home devices to the internet and where people could move freely between real life and the internet.
High-speed communications need many base stations because of the short transmission range -- within several hundred meters -- and the 5G service, which was launched this spring, can only be used in a few areas because not many base stations have been built.
The government plans to expand the base stations to include manholes and billboards as well as rooftops, but also personal items such as cars and phones, which is different from the way existing technologies work.
The government believes such efforts will facilitate telework, which has been encouraged because of the spread of the coronavirus, and will make it possible to provide advanced telemedicine -- currently not yet introduced because of communication delays.
In light of the spread of the coronavirus, the draft specifically states, "This strategy is an emergency response to global challenges, and the country has no choice but to rely entirely on IT, including for teleworking."
In Japan, NTT Corp. and Sony Corp. have set up a new organization to develop the 6G system, but competition for 6G is already increasing around the world. New York University has set up a research center in the U.S., and major telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co. has started research in China.
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