5G, 6G, RFID & Telecoms

Surfaces, be they in kitchen appliances, automotive interiors, medical devices, or even furniture, are becoming increasingly smart. Embedded lighting, touch sensitivity, heating, and even haptic feedback enables inanimate and often neglected surfaces into a design feature with seamlessly integrated user controls. But what is the best way to manufacture these smart surfaces?

The next generation of telecoms technologies, 5G, is not fully deployed yet; in fact, the exciting high-frequency bands of mmWave 5G are not set to take off for another several years, according to IDTechEx forecasts.

Though 5G mmWave is still in its early stages, the 6G research race has already begun. The sub-THz band (100 - 300 GHz) is the major focus of the first wave of 6G. Several technological breakthroughs are necessary to fully realize the benefits of such a high frequency band in 6G.

Can electronics manufacturing be reconfigured for our digital, environmentally-conscious age? IDTechEx's new report, "Manufacturing Printed Electronics 2023-2033", explores a wide range of manufacturing innovations that will enable additive, digital, and higher throughput electronics production across many length scales.

Breaking Down the Drivers and Barriers Impacting Low-Loss Materials for 5G. Each year, the global deployment of 5G-enabled devices and infrastructure expands, bringing new and exciting applications to market, like smart devices, autonomous vehicles, and remote medical monitoring. However, the expansion of the 5G network, particularly the higher frequency mmWave bands, is restricted by several challenges.

While 5G mmWave has yet to take off, 6G research has already begun. But what exactly is 6G, and what are the emerging areas to watch?

Each year, the global deployment of 5G-enabled devices and infrastructure expands, with 98 nations having commercialized 5G or conducting 5G trials in 2022, up from 79 nations in 2021.

Having been largely confined to the realm of academia for many years, metamaterials are now set for commercialization in several major applications.

Thermal management is critical in several industries, and the trends in emerging technologies are driving material innovation. Electronics in markets from personal devices through to cars are seeing increased integration, densification, and hence an increased focus on thermal management.

It is becoming prosaic to say there is no 'silver bullet' for marine decarbonization. But it might be fitting to say 'multiple silver bullets' are emerging since between batteries, fuel cells (FC), green hydrogen, green ammonia, e-methane and carbon capture, decarbonization across all marine subsegments might just be possible.