Standards will help us achieve a more sustainable future

By the 2030s global cellular networks will be able to connect not only smartphones and other connected devices but also objects around you, opening up a new frontier in connectivity.

In ten years, remote rural areas that currently don't have any mobile reception will be connected thanks to advances in non-terrestrial networks.

And, by the 2030s, improvements in video compression and cellular technology will power new augmented and virtual reality experiences in the workplace and at home, helping people to learn new skills and connect with people in different ways.

I can make these forecasts because the engineers at InterDigital, and companies like ours, are already working on these future technologies. Thanks to their early research and the standardization ecosystem in which they work, we have some understanding of how the ways we connect are likely to change well into the future.

Global standardized technologies, such as mobile and Wi-Fi, provide many advantages to society, helping us to live and work more efficiently wherever we may be, through universal connectivity and interoperability. Developed through a collaborative effort which brings together engineers from around the world, standards open up new markets and opportunities, providing a roadmap for technological development which manufacturers, software companies, app developers, and others can use to help conceive and build new products and services. In recent years, for example, we have seen the emergence of more sophisticated health tracking devices and even smarter homes and other environments, powered by an expanding range of connected appliances.

Take the example of 6G. In November 2023 the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) published a report titled, "Framework and overall objectives of the future development of IMT for 2030 and beyond."

The publication received little fanfare beyond the specialist media. The report might be too dry for headline writers but it is the cornerstone guide to how cellular technology is expected to develop through the 2020s and ultimately be implemented in networks and devices into the 2030s.

The evolution of international mobile telecommunications (IMT) over the last 40 years has been a huge driver of economic growth, so that today economic activity built on IMT is valued at $5.7 trillion by the GSMA. All of this has been based on global standards for mobile connectivity, which make the entire ecosystem possible.

The ITU report doesn't specifically mention 6G but it offers an important early roadmap on how the next "G" should develop. New features are planned to include integrated sensing and communication or ISAC (to help detect objects around you), ubiquitous connectivity (to help connect more remote areas), and AI integrated from the ground up (to help, in part, to make networks more efficient and reliable).

As with previous generations, the hard work is now in the hands of engineers who collaborate through the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to reach a consensus on the design and structure of 6G. These research engineers, including many from InterDigital, meet on a regular basis worldwide to work on how cellular technology can be improved.

Although it is still relatively early in 6G's development, ISAC, which will add radio sensing functions to wireless networks so that our connected devices can map and detect changes in the environment around us, looks set to play a significant role in new use cases for the next "G." It is the kind of foundational innovation which can power new uses for connectivity in areas like smart cities, autonomous driving and smart factories.

Now is a particularly good time to recognize and understand the benefits of global standardization both today and into the future as this week we celebrate World Standards Day. This year, World Standards Day is focused on goal nine of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which seeks to build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

As the UN makes clear, "sustained growth must include industrialization that first of all makes opportunities accessible to all people, and second, is supported by innovation and resilient infrastructure."

There is still considerable progress to make if we are to achieve all of the targets set out by the SDGs but I would argue that standards-based innovation continues to make clear and valuable contributions. For instance, as the UN points out, almost the entire population of the world now lives within reach of a mobile cellular signal. The lives of entire populations can be, and are, improved by new developments built on global mobile connectivity.

Standards for connectivity are by no means a panacea but as we work towards a more resilient, sustainable and innovative future they have a clear role to play.

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