What you need to know
- Apple has joined a coalition of companies working on 6G.
- That's despite the fact it only brought 5G to its iPhone 12 a few weeks ago.
- The technology is probably years away from consumers.
Not content with 5G in the iPhone 12, Apple has joined a coalition working on the development of 6G technology.
As reported by Mobile World Live:
Apple, Google and LG Electronics became the latest major players to join the Next G Alliance, a coalition of companies working to define and develop the next generation of mobile technology.The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) launched the group last month, with backing from top US and Canadian operators, Ericsson and Nokia, among others. Its main aim is to establish North America as a leader in 6G.
According to the report, the group will meet for the first time next week, on November 16. The group is also made up of major US carriers like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile as well as international operators and vendors like Bell Canada, Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, Qualcomm, Facebook, Microsoft, and more.
Notably absent are Huawei and ZTE, who are precluded from joining as founding members "if they have been barred from federal contracts by agencies within the US government", according to ATIS CEO Susan Miller.
The report notes that working groups are due to begin in early 2021.
Apple has only just added 5G support to its iPhone lineup with the iPhone 12, and development of the technology globally took some years following the launch of 4G. It is likely the case that the development of 6G in whatever future form it takes will take an equally long period of time.
