Apple is already starting work on 6G before 6G was even a thing

Apple’s first 5G phones arrived just a few months ago, but the company is already exploring the future of cellular connectivity.

A recently published job listing for a wireless research systems engineer teased the company’s ambitions for 6G cellular technology. This list, previously reported by Bloomberg, says the position “will be at the center of a cutting-edge research group tasked with creating disruptive next-generation radio access technologies over the next decade.”

“You will work on defining concepts at the system level, proposing and researching innovative ideas and algorithms, performing simulations of complex systems, defining rapid prototyping platforms to help to prove your ideas and to the specification of RAN protocols and for next generation cellular systems (6G), ”the list says. . Among the responsibilities of the role, Apple indicates that the position will participate in industry and university forums “passionate about 6G technology”.

Apple did not immediately return a request for comment on its development of next-generation cellular technology.

Apple may be exploring the future of cellular connectivity, but we’re a long way from any such technology appearing on Apple devices – potentially. decade or more, because 6G is little more than an idea at this point. A new generation wireless the standard has not yet been set (and is probably still years away). In addition, Apple has just presented its first generation of 5G iPhones at the end of last year. And zooming out from its latest list of phones, many of its products are still 4G devices.

But it’s pretty clear in the job posting, which states that a good candidate can be someone who enjoys “working on challenges that no one has yet solved”. And the technologies, clearly, which do not yet exist.