President Trump says he wants ‘5G, and even 6G’ wireless tech. But what is 6G?

President Donald Trump urged wireless technology companies to step up their efforts to build next-generation data networks. The President tweeted, "I want 5G, and even 6G, technology in the United States as soon as possible. It is far more powerful, faster, and smarter than the current standard. American companies must step up their efforts, or get left behind. There is no reason that we should be lagging behind on something that is so obviously the future," he continued. "I want the United States to win through competition, not by blocking out currently more advanced technologies. We must always be the leader in everything we do, especially when it comes to the very exciting world of technology."

But is 6G even a thing? The short answer is, 6G is likely what we’ll call whatever advanced data networks come after 5G. And 5G is what carriers are currently building as the next generation after 4G LTE. But so far, 6G exists largely as a theoretical concept and is a long way from being deployed in the real world.