NEC collaborates with DOCOMO and NTT on 6G experimental trials

Tokyo, Japan - NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) today announced that it has agreed to collaborate with NTT DOCOMO, INC. (DOCOMO) and NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION (NTT) on 6th generation mobile communication system (6G) experimental trials.

6G will require dramatic advances in communications technology to achieve 10 to 100 times higher speeds and capacities than the 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), with ultra-low power consumption of 1/100 and coverage that reaches from the depths of the ocean to the heights of outer space.

NEC will work with DOCOMO and NTT on a distributed MIMO technology (1) for utilizing the midband of 6GHz or higher to the sub-terahertz band, and OAM multiplex transmission technology (2) that realizes large capacity by spatial multiplexing of high-frequency band radio waves. NEC will also conduct R&D on device technologies for reducing size and power consumption, as well as high-precision beamforming technologies, transmission methods and propagation models suitable for high-frequency bands. This is in addition to the development of optimization and signal processing technologies utilizing AI. NEC aims to develop and realize these technologies for supporting the start of 6G services by DOCOMO and NTT near 2030.

NEC views 6G not only as a dramatic evolution in radio technology, but also as a social infrastructure that combines the use of optical communications, operational sophistication through IOWN® (*3), a concept for realizing new smart societies that are not yet possible with today's internet, and service/application infrastructure such as distributed computing and AI. Through activities with DOCOMO and NTT, NEC will accelerate R&D of communications technologies for 6G and work to create social value by realizing 6G services.

Naoki Tani, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at DOCOMO, said, "NEC and DOCOMO have been collaborating since 2014 to verify wireless technologies and create new use cases for commercial launch of 5G. We are delighted to collaborate with NEC as a partner in these trials of 6G technology. DOCOMO and NTT will now start verification of technologies that enable stable communication in new frequency bands, such as sub-terahertz bands, realize large capacity and contribute to 6G commercialization with vertical industry partners."

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(*1) Technologies for MIMO (Multi Input Multi Output) transmission between the antennas of base stations dispersed in an area and user terminals. It is expected to increase the stability of communication even in a high frequency band which is highly linear and susceptible to shielding material, and it is promising for effectively utilizing the high frequency bands of 6G.

(*2) Technologies to increase the number (multiplexing number) of data signals to be transmitted at the same time by placing a signal on a plurality of radio waves having different orbital angular momentum status (OAM mode) and transmitting them wirelessly. By combining conventional polarization multiplexing methods, even higher frequency utilization efficiency and larger capacity can be realized. The utilization of millimeter waves and sub terahertz waves is desired in order to expand the transmission distance.

(*3) Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) is an advanced communications infrastructure incorporating cutting-edge photonics, computing and other technologies to realize a smarter world promoted by IOWN Global Forum (new windowhttps://iowngf.org/).