What does 6G mean for the civil engineering industry?

5G took the world by storm, unlocking new potentials in almost every industry and helping the world progress and overcome challenges at a faster rate than we have ever seen before. As a result, the latest advancements in cellular technology being rolled out with the launch of 6G are being greeted with great excitement by tech-savvy individuals all over the world.

This new tech promises to be significantly faster and with higher levels of connectivity than 5G, meaning there will likely be strong opportunities to leverage it in the civil engineering space. Let's uncover how developments in cellular technology have already changed the civil engineering industry and what this latest technology may mean for its future.

1G to 5G: Impact on Civil Engineering

Travel back to the 1980s and you will be in the midst of the launch of 1G. This technology was revolutionary at the time, but limited in its scope, offering just 2.4 KB per second. 1G enabled the first mobile telephones, although voice quality was low and security was poor.

Since then, new advancements in cellular technology have increased the speed, quality, ability and security of these networks. For example, 2G introduced call and text encryption alongside SMS and MMS, 3G increased the speed of data, 4G increased speed drastically and 5G boosted bandwidth.

These developments have brought big opportunities to many industries, including civil engineering. Faster speeds allow civil engineers to communicate seamlessly with project teams, whether in the office or on-site. Increased bandwidth and compatibility also make it possible for civil engineers to connect more devices, such as tools for measuring, visualisation and safety - helping automate processes and drive efficiencies.

What could 6G mean for civil engineering?

The primary goal of 6G is not just to further increase the speed and bandwidth of mobile devices, but also to create a network that can be relied upon as we enter into the age of the Internet of Things (IoT). 6G will help us seamlessly connect everything from automated cars to smart-home networks.

In addition to the fact that these advances will hugely impact the processes and tools that civil engineers will use in their daily work, they will also play an important role in helping engineers find solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face today.

For example, 6G will help enable new technologies that will drastically reduce climate change. One area in which this will occur is transportation. Connected vehicles will be able to limit their energy consumption significantly, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to power them to maximum efficiency. Civil engineering skills will be required to create the infrastructure needed to achieve this. The same can be said with regard to the efficiency of buildings.

6G will also offer civil engineers the connectivity they need to gain real-time insight into projects and ongoing maintenance. Hyper-connectivity will allow for multiple sensors to be applied to everything from water management systems to structural integrity. Pairing this data with AI will further improve the speed and quality of insights that civil engineers can leverage.

The 6G timeline

The field of civil engineering has a bright future. This is especially true with the launch of 6G on the horizon. A potential industry-changing innovation, 6G will help drastically speed up communications and unlock new possibilities in the civil engineering space.

6G internet is expected to commercially launch in 2030.

6G and your future in civil engineering

Here at AtkinsRéalis , we are always looking for new technologies to help us better serve our customers and find new, innovative solutions. This means that our civil engineers are always working with cutting-edge tools.

If you want to gain experience in this space, we have exciting civil engineering jobs available across the globe, from the US to Europe and the Middle East to APAC. With AtkinsRéalis , there really are no limits to what you can achieve.