In addition to the telecommunications provider Vodafone and the Charité Berlin University Hospital, 17 other partners from industry, research and medicine are involved in the "6G Health" research project, as Vodafone announced in Leipzig on Wednesday. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is funding the project with around 10 million euros.
The main difference between 5G and 6G is the speed of data transmission. 5G networks can achieve peak values of up to ten gigabits per second. In 6G networks, on the other hand, speeds of up to 400 gigabits per second should be possible.
There should also be huge improvements in data transfer times (latency), which have already been significantly reduced to one to two milliseconds during the transition from 4G (LTE) to 5G. In the 6G networks, the delays should then only be a few microseconds. In addition, 6G networks are said to be more energy-efficient, which not only extends the battery life of mobile devices, but also reduces the power requirements of mobile radio stations.
Transmitting vital data in real time
The "6G Health" research project will explore applications from three fields of innovation. Firstly, biosignals such as blood pressure, body temperature, respiratory rate and other vital patient data are to be recorded and transmitted and processed in real time. In the second field, research will be conducted into how doctors and nurses can benefit from new forms of collaboration in the future - for example through applications from the field of augmented reality (AR) or telemedicine. It would be conceivable, for example, for doctors to look at three-dimensional images of organs before operations in preparation or to call in specialists for surgical procedures. The third field of research is about networking medical devices and the communication infrastructure for the smart hospital of the future.
Numerous telecommunications companies are involved in research into sixth-generation mobile communications. Deutsche Telekom, for example, is leading two research projects for the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Among other things, this involves the network architecture for 6G and the challenge of how satellite and ground stations can be harmonised.
Impulses are also coming from manufacturers of mobile phone technology: Swedish provider Ericsson has joined forces with the University of Stuttgart, among others, in a research project. The aim is to find out how a predictable quality of connections between users, processes and digital images in the cyber world can be guaranteed in a 6G network.