The Brazilian 6G flagship project (“Brasil 6G” in Portuguese) has been given five additional months to complete its second phase.

In a document signed in December, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) extended the agreement between the 6G research project’s stakeholders and the federal administration until July 31st, 2024. 

Brasil 6G is led by RPN (National Teaching and Research Network Association), Inatel, and CPQD (Research and Development Centre in Telecommunications).

The initiative has two stages: the first phase focused on exploring 6G use cases and the requirements to make them a reality and identifying the enabling technologies in areas such as network architecture, AI, sensing and positioning, and RF circuits.

The second half of the program aims to develop a platform that will allow Brazilian researchers to test solutions, algorithms, and ideas in a 6G environment. Researchers are also building technical skills for advanced mobile network implementation and operation.

Overall, the joint effort will have received BRL 21.3 million (USD 4.3 million) by the end of its duration. The lion’s share – BRL 16.3 million (USD 3.3 million) is dedicated to the second phase.

More 6G Research Across the Country

Other federal agencies have been backing up 6G research beyond the flagship program – including the country’s oldest public funding entity, the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq).

According to the CNPq’s database, beyond the flagship initiative, 15 academic projects – specifically about 6G – are receiving money from the public body. Together, they total BRL 650,484 (USD 131,773) since 2021.

• Smart mmW wireless systems beyond 6G
• 5G-NR and 6G FiWi Systems Based on FSO, VLC and RoF Self-powered via PoF
• Optimisation of radio-over-fibre systems applied to 5G/6G systems based on machine learning assisted by physical models
• Implementation and Characterization of Photonic Integrated Circuits for Ultrafast Internet and 5G/6G Network Applications
• Multi-antenna Processing Applied to 6G Communications Systems: Support for Critical Links and Operation at High Frequencies
• Communications between Machines: Development and Analysis of Communications Systems for the 6G Era
• Diversity Techniques in Internet-of-Things (IoT) and 5G/6G Systems
• Efficiency, Reliability and Connectivity in 5G and 6G Systems: XL-MIMO, RIS, Cell-Free, Random Access and Machine Learning
• Technologies for 5G and 6G Systems: Optical Fronthaul and Devices for THz Operation
• 6G communications: challenges, feasibility, trends, architecture and performance assessment
• Design of a 5G/6G Network Architecture with Optical Support for Broadband Communications and Wireless Channel Characterization
• Design and Analysis of Communication Systems between Machines for IoT and 6G
• Characterisation of THz Wireless Channels for Modeling 6G Networks
• Resource Management, Prediction Algorithms and Wireless Backhaul for 6G with SDR Implementation
• 6G MIMO Systems Optimization: User-Centric Communications and Smart Surfaces