Samsung already researching a future 6G standard

The 5G standard is supposed to get increased adoption this year, and, while only the U.S., the U.K., China and South Korea have partially working networks at present, more and more 5G-ready handheld devices should hit the market by the end of 2019. Since 5G is expected to offer slightly faster speeds compared to 1 Gbps fixed fiber connections, this standard should also benefit desktop and portable PCs. However, a recent U.K. BBC broadcast over the limited 5G connections proved that the speeds are not quite there yet and it will still take around 2 years to fully implement stable networks, at least in major cities around the world.

Samsung is the first smartphone maker to offer a 5G-ready model with the Galaxy S10 5G launched this spring. This particular model comes with a separate 5G modem, but Samsung promised that next year’s SoCs will integrate their own 5G modems. In the meantime, it looks like Samsung is already moving forward, as the company announced that it is dedicating resources for the research of a 5G successor.

In order to maximize research proficiency, Samsung recently expanded the main R&D organization with the Advanced Communications Research Center in southern Seoul. This new center will continue developing the 5G standard and, at the same time, work on a blueprint for a future 6G standard. Additionally, the expanded research team will also focus on artificial intelligence and robotics applications.