6G: What Is It, How Fast Will It Be, & When Will It Launch?
How-To Geek, Friday, May 5,2023
Network planning initiatives in the U.S. and around the world have 6G all over the news, but you may be wondering when it'll be all over your town. Curious about 6G and when upgrading to 6G will even a possibility? Here's what we know.
What Is 6G?
'6G' is shorthand for sixth-generation cellular network technology. Just like Wi-Fi generations are identified by simple increments like Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6, and Wi-Fi 7, the different generations of cellular technology are, too.
Consumer cellphones arrived in 1981 with the release of the first commercial cellphone-running on analog technology that we now refer to as 1G. Roughly every ten years after that, a new generation of cellular tech arrived. 2G arrived in 1992, 3G in 2001, 4G in 2009, and 5G in 2019.