Chinese device maker Oppo became the latest player to talk up 6G, outlining its vision for the next-generation of mobile which it expects will revolutionise use of AI and emerge as a truly public serving technology.

In a whitepaper developed by Oppo Research Institute, the company indicated 6G would revolutionise the way people interact with AI, and ultimately have a major impact on how systems learn, interact and are applied. This development, it expects, will ultimately benefit humans, with 6G being used by everyone.

Oppo expects AI will also play a central role in devices, with users able to download and deploy algorithms at various application levels, which will use data to create a more personalised, immersive experience.

The vendor further discussed the use of 6G in autonomous vehicles, with AI used in a similar way to other smart devices and create “optimal communication” based on the location of objects in an environment, including factors such as weather, traffic and pedestrians, to create the most comfortable journey for passengers.

2035 launch
Commenting in the paper, Henry Tang, chief 5G scientist at Oppo, believes 6G standardisation work would begin in 2025, before commercial rollout in 2035, which is around five years after other industry players have suggested the technology will launch.

“Looking towards 2035, Oppo expects the number of intelligent agents in the world to far exceed the number of humans. Therefore, the next generation of communication technology, 6G, should be able to serve the needs not only of people but of all forms of intelligence and their various interactions,” Tang added.

Oppo joins a number of industry players, governments and research facilities looking to take a lead on the next network technology.

US players including Samsung America and Qualcomm threw weight behind a new 6G research project earlier this month.