Keysight Technologies, Inc. has signed a three-party agreement with NTT DOCOMO, Inc., and NTT to advance the development of key technologies expected to drive the innovation necessary for 6G.

With 5G deployment under way, research on enabling technologies for 6G – the next generation of wireless communications – is gaining momentum. These technologies involve new spectrum, artificial intelligence, digital twins and new network architectures including non-terrestrial networks. Organizations developing semiconductors, next-generation device technology, new network capabilities and 6G applications are working with academia, government and each other to meet the challenges and demands of bringing these future communications technologies to market.

Under the agreement, Keysight, NTT DOCOMO and NTT will combine their expertise and solutions to enable the industry to overcome technical challenges associated with the introduction of 6G use cases and applications. The first technical collaboration will focus on new spectrum technologies for sub-terahertz (sub-THz) frequencies. The promise of the extreme data rates of sub-THz bandwidths combined with applications enabled by sensing technologies is driving significant research in semiconductors, antennas, transceiver design and modulation techniques. The companies have agreed on a multi-year project that will focus on RF channel measurement and modeling for frequencies ranging from 92 to 300 GHz.

Takehiro Nakamura, chief technology architect at NTT DOCOMO, said, "DOCOMO has been collaborating with Keysight since 2015 to perform mmWave radio propagation measurement and RF device testing towards the realization of 5G, which contributed to 5G commercial services. We are delighted to collaborate with Keysight also towards the realization of the 6G concept. DOCOMO and NTT will accelerate experimental trials on radio propagation measurement of sub-THz band with Keysight to gain insight into the capabilities of 6G wireless technologies faster."

Giampaolo Tardioli, vice president, 6G and next generation technology at Keysight, said, "We have a long history of innovation with DOCOMO and are looking forward to building on that relationship with DOCOMO, and now NTT, to enable key technologies for 6G. We are delighted to join forces with these world-class contributors to communications technology to work across multiple technology domains that will prove critical to realizing sustainable 6G use cases, applications and business models."