To prepare for this scenario of increasing demand for cellular data, 6G standards will need to adopt innovative technologies that are not currently used in 5G standards.
According to Juniper Research's report, it will be necessary to invest in non-terrestrial networks (Ntn) and sub-1THz frequency bands, technologies that are critical to successfully complete the initial testing of 6G networks, and provide greater data capacities than current 5G networks.
However, attention must be paid to the project deployment roadmap, because the increased costs generated by the use of satellites for non-terrestrial networks, and the costs of acquiring high frequency, will result in longer lead times for operators to deliver a return on 6G investments.
Thus, 5G is a technology that has kept its promise, with strong interest also in industrial areas such as, for example, manufacturing and mobility. As for Italy, according to the Desi 2022 report and Gsma intelligence, 5G covers between 96 percent and 99.7 percent of the population, which is the highest coverage in Europe. However, at the industrial level, project development is proceeding slowly and with some unknowns. By 2025, the industrial market in our country may be worth 40 million euros in case the fifth generation of mobile networks will be used only for technology testing and partial process engineering. If, on the other hand, 5G becomes the standard for industrial connectivity and in the business world, the market may be worth 200 million euros, according to the latest research by the 5G & Beyond Observatory of the School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano.