Do we Really Need Terahertz Cellphones and Holograms?

Do We Need 6G Cellphones, Terahertz Tech and Wireless Backhaul?

Tinfoil time? Yes, it's really very geeky.

The world of wireless communication is evolving at a rapid pace, and as we move towards an even more connected future (God forbid!), the demand for faster, more reliable, and more efficient communication technologies continues to grow. 

Technology marches on

The cellphone business is huge, but sales of smartphones are slowing and profits are falling, so, just as in every other business, a new technology is needed to keep the sales going. They'll tell us that we must have it. It's like that story about feminine hygiene/deodorant products - a problem that didn't exist was invented.

So, we're going to have this tech whether we like it or not.

And we'll have terahertz radio frequencies in our ears and brains when there are still some questions about the health of current cellphone technology.

One of the key challenges in developing 6G is the need for new technologies that can operate at extremely high frequencies. This is where terahertz technology comes in.

What is terahertz (THz) technology?

The terahertz frequency range is between the microwave and infrared frequency ranges, typically between 0.1 THz and 10 THz. This frequency range is largely untapped, and there is still a lot of research and development needed to unlock its potential.

One of the key advantages of terahertz technology is its ability to transmit large amounts of data at incredibly fast speeds. Terahertz waves have a much higher frequency than the radio waves used in current wireless communication technologies, which means they can carry more information in a shorter amount of time. This makes terahertz technology ideal for applications such as high-speed data transfer, ultra-high-definition video streaming, and virtual reality.

However, terahertz technology also poses some challenges. 

Range limitations

One of the biggest challenges is the limited range of terahertz waves. Unlike broadcast radio waves (AM/FM), which can travel relatively long distances, terahertz waves are easily absorbed by objects such as walls, trees, and even air molecules. This means that terahertz technology is better suited for short-range communication, such as within a room or building.

Terahertz wireless technology has attracted significant attention for its potential in 6G communication, high-speed internet and in secure communications, such as in complex military environments.

That means we will be surrounded by repeaters.

I'll say that again.

That means we will be surrounded by repeaters.

Specialised components and materials

Another challenge with terahertz technology is the need for specialized components and materials. Terahertz waves require different components than traditional radio waves, and there are currently limited materials available that can operate at terahertz frequencies. This makes the development of terahertz technology more challenging and costly than other wireless communication technologies.

Development

Despite these challenges, researchers and companies are actively working on developing terahertz technology, and it is expected to play a key role in the development of 6G.

A research team from the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Second Institute recently conducted the first real-time wireless transmission of its 6G communication technology, marking a significant step forward.

The test used terahertz orbital angular momentum communication technology. The vortex waves, unlike anything in radio communication over the last century, added "a new dimension to wireless transmission", said Professor Zhang Chao, of the school of aerospace engineering at Tsinghua University in Beijing and his collaborators from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and China Unicom in a recent interview.

In the experiment, Zhang's team used a special antenna to generate four different beam patterns at a frequency of 110 GHz. With those patterns, they achieved real-time wireless transmission at a speed of 100 gigabits per second on a 10 GHz bandwidth, significantly increasing the efficiency of bandwidth efficiency.

The second area for advancement is orbital angular momentum (OAM) transmission, in which an encoding technology adds extra information to the transmission.

By utilising OAM, multiple signals can be transmitted simultaneously on the same frequency without interference, enabling more efficient use of the available spectrum, and allowing for greater data transfer capacities and improved communication speeds.

So, once your data (voice/video/hologram) is streaming from your 6G smartphone to the local base station antenna, it needs to get on to the data backbone of your service provider's network.

That's where backhaul technology comes in to play.

Backhaul technology

Backhaul technology is the technology that connects the wireless base stations to the core network. Backhaul is essential for the operation of wireless networks, as it enables the transfer of data between the base stations and the core network.

Cell phones communicating with a single cell tower constitute a local sub-network; the connection between the cell tower and the rest of the world begins with a backhaul link to the core of the internet service provider's network (via a point of presence). A backhaul may include wired, fiber optic and wireless components. (Wikipedia)

However, as wireless networks become more advanced and require higher data transfer speeds, traditional backhaul technologies may not be up to the job.

This is where wireless backhaul comes in. Wireless backhaul technology uses wireless connections, such as microwave and millimeter-wave connections, to provide backhaul linkage for wireless networks. Wireless backhaul has several advantages over fibre-optic technology, including lower deployment costs, greater flexibility, and faster deployment times.

The above picture shows cablefree microwave backhaul links deployed for a mobile operator in the Middle East. These microwave links typically carry a mix of Ethernet /IP, TDM (Nx E1) and SDH traffic to connect the Cellular Base Stations (BTS) to the central sites of the cellular operator. Such microwave links used to carry 2xE1 (4Mbit/s) now carry 400Mbit/s or more. That's still very slow compared to what terahertz technology promises.

Wired/fibre optic is usually a very expensive solution and often impossible to deploy in remote areas, hence making wireless a more suitable and/or a viable option. 

Multi-hop wireless architecture can overcome the hurdles of wired solutions to create efficient large coverage areas and with growing demand in emerging markets where often cost is a major factor in deciding technologies, a wireless backhaul solution is able to offer 'carrier-grade' services, whereas this is not easily feasible with wired backhaul connectivity.

And then there's mesh backhaul, which I'll spare you here.

But we all want more data and faster, and 6G will want even more. Except me. I don't. Anyway…

Current wireless backhaul also has some limitations, the biggest of which is its susceptibility to interference. It operates in the same frequency bands as other wireless technologies, such as Wi-Fi and cellular networks. This means that there is a risk of interference between different wireless networks, which can cause data transfer speeds to slow down or even stop altogether.

To address this issue, researchers and companies are exploring new backhaul technologies that can operate in higher frequency bands. This is where terahertz technology comes in, again. 

Wireless backhaul technology has emerged to become the dominant solution for linkage to core networks. According to some observers, by 2023, more than 62 per cent of global base stations will use wireless backhaul technology.

In the frighteningly near future, peak communication speeds using 6G are expected to reach one terabit per second, which will require further improvement to the efficiency of existing spectrum resources to achieve higher wireless transmission capabilities. And capable of transmitting the huge quantity of data that a single hologram requires.

At least there's only 8 billion people in the world. They will not all be using smartphones at the same time. Or will they?

We are really going to be cooking with all this terahertz data flying about. 

The days of wearing tinfoil helmets are surely not that far away.

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