The world is still in the early stages of 5G cellular network technology, but Huawei is already working on the sixth generation.
Huawei Researching 6G Connectivity
The tech company has been making a splash lately with the recent introduction of its operating system known as HarmonyOS.
Now, it's revealed that Huawei has started researching 6G network connectivity from its research center Huawei Labs in Ottawa, Canada, according to a report from The Logic.
Along with a handful of other companies, the Chinese technology brand is aiming to be one of the first companies to master the technology. The company is reportedly working with more than 13 universities and research institutes for its research.
"5G is already pretty new, and 6G is part of the so-called 5G evolution," explained Song Zhang, Huawei's vice president of research strategy and partnership in Canada.
However, while the company is already taking steps to learn more about and develop 6G, it's still estimated to be a decade away from coming into fruition. Its commercial rollout isn't expected to come before 2030.
Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei revealed to GizChina that the company's Canada investment is at least a couple of billion dollars.
Since 2009, Huawei has been investing in 5G network connectivity, releasing about $600 million for research on the technology. Then, in 2016, the company added $1.4 billion to bring its total investment on 5G research to $2 billion. It's more than the investment of most American and European companies.
Other Companies Working On 6G
Sure, 5G isn't even widely available yet. However, Huawei, along with several other major companies, are already looking ahead.
In June, Samsung established the Advanced Communications Research Center in Seoul, Korea to begin leading research on the 6G network.
There are already plans for building a test 6G network in China in 2020, while the Korean company LG has also announced researching 6G. Nokia, Ericsson, and SK Telecom have joined forces to work on 6G development as well.
GSM Arena noted that since there aren't clear industry standards for 6G yet, most of the research being done by the different companies are still on the theoretical side rather than practical.
For now, most companies are still perfecting the 5G technology. Rumors revealed that the three iPhone models for release in 2020 will feature 5G connectivity, while Samsung is also gearing up to produce its flagship phones with 5G.
