Although it will still be a few years before the fifth generation of mobile communications technology is in operation around the UK, research for 6G is already under way.
It wasn’t until 3G was launched in the mid-2000s that web browsing became ubiquitous on smartphones.
4G then allowed for video and music streaming, and 5G is expected to deliver more augmented reality applications and bring enormous industrial benefits too.
A new innovation centre at the University of Surrey is now preparing for 6G, which could enable the communication of physical sensations across the world instantaneously.5G: What is it, what will it do, and is it safe?
Speaking to The Times, Professor Alan Woodward said he expected medicine would be one of the first specialised fields to get 6G coverage.
“You can imagine being a surgeon on the other side of the world and you’ve got robotic hands inside somebody,” he said.
“In that scenario, you don’t want any perceptible delay between what you’re doing and feeling and what’s being fed back to you, you need to virtually be there, basically.