Geographical Study of the 6G Wireless Communications: Outlines of Future Directions

According to existing forecasts, after 2030, an intelligent, three-dimensional, ultra-dense, integrated, terabyte, terahertz, tactile, and touch-scanning wireless communication system of the sixth generation (6G) will be deployed. Spatial features will be very significant for it, which necessitates geographical research. Therefore, an attempt has been made to determine the future directions of the geographical study of 6G networks based on a comparison of network parameters with the existing experience of knowing the spatial and temporal features of the deployment of information and communication networks. The main attention is paid to the infrastructure and the telecommunication services. The infrastructure includes cloud data centers, stationary and mobile base stations, subscriber and robotic devices, radiating surfaces, sensors, and other network elements. Future services will be represented by ubiquitously connected artificial intelligence, sensory scanning of the environment, holographic telepresence, augmented reality, tactile communication, three-dimensional positioning, and other services. It is proposed to develop geographical research in the following areas: deployment of a spatially distributed network; info-communication-network development of space; identification of “smart” agglomerations and regions; spatial diffusion of telecommunications services; center-peripheral digital inequality; and artificial intelligence specialization of regions. Applied work is proposed to be carried out on the geographical expertise of network projects, optimization of the linear-node structure and recommendations of the 7G network parameters. For each of the nine directions, general characteristics and possible division into particular directions are given. Within the framework of the selected directions, the proposed periodization of the main research tasks is shown from the development of a methodology for geographical cognition of 6G networks in the 2020s to obtaining empirical results in the 2030s and their subsequent discussion for the transition to 7G in the 2040s.

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