Smart Cities to Environmental Protection: UNU Jogja Research Advances Next-Generation 6G Networks

Yogyakarta, Indonesia – While commercial 6G networks are not expected to launch until 2030, researchers worldwide are already competing to develop the technologies that will power the next generation of wireless communications. Designed to support billions of connected devices, 6G promises data transmission speeds far beyond current capabilities while seamlessly integrating artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), and immersive digital environments.

Contributing to this global effort, a researcher from Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Yogyakarta (UNU Jogja) has developed an innovative communication method that could make future 6G networks faster, smarter, and more energy efficient.

The innovation, called Frequency-Time Index Modulation Multiple Access (FT-IMMA), was developed by I Nyoman Apraz Ramatryana, a lecturer at UNU Yogyakarta's Faculty of Information Technology. His research, titled "An Uplink Frequency-Time Index Modulation Multiple Access for 6G Networks," was published in IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, Volume 74, Issue 5 (2025).

The journal is indexed in Scopus Q1, the highest quartile for scientific publications. It is published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world's largest professional organization dedicated to technology and engineering, with more than 533,000 members across over 190 countries.

"In simple terms, my research proposes a new way for a large number of devices to transmit data simultaneously over future 6G networks without having to queue or request transmission schedules from the base station," Apraz said from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.

Apraz is currently undertaking postdoctoral research at Khalifa University in the UAE. He previously earned his Ph.D. in IT Convergence Engineering from Kumoh National Institute of Technology, South Korea.

Compared with today's 5G networks, 6G is projected to deliver data speeds up to 100 times faster. Beyond speed, the technology is expected to support transformative applications, including remote robotic surgery, real-time healthcare monitoring, intelligent transportation systems, fully automated manufacturing, and even future brain-computer communication.

Despite its enormous potential, 6G still faces major technical challenges, including costly infrastructure deployment, the limited range of high-frequency spectrum, and signal penetration through buildings.

To illustrate the problem, Apraz compares wireless communication to a highway.

"On a highway, traffic still needs to be managed efficiently. Likewise, data packets require effective coordination of both transmission frequency and timing. Existing systems typically manage these resources separately. Our approach combines both dimensions, allowing data to intelligently choose the optimal frequency-time combination for transmission," he explained.

The key novelty of FT-IMMA lies in integrating frequency and time resources simultaneously, giving communication devices greater flexibility while transmitting data.

"The result is significantly higher spectrum efficiency, lower energy consumption, and a much lower probability of data collisions compared with conventional methods," he said.

According to Apraz, FT-IMMA has the potential to become an important enabling technology for future 6G infrastructure, supporting advances in immersive communications, smart cities, Industry 5.0, AI-powered intelligent services, and sustainable green networking.

One promising application is in smart city development. By improving communication between railway signaling systems, intelligent traffic lights, and connected infrastructure, FT-IMMA could enable more accurate real-time traffic management.

"This technology has the potential to reduce traffic congestion by around 15 to 30 percent while significantly improving public safety," he said.

Beyond urban mobility, the technology could also strengthen environmental protection efforts. Connected sensor networks powered by FT-IMMA could continuously monitor forests and other green areas, enabling earlier detection of environmental degradation.

"It can help prevent environmental damage from becoming more severe while supporting long-term efforts to address climate change," Apraz added.

The need for more efficient communication technologies will continue to grow as billions of smart devices come online.

According to global research firms DataReportal and Statista, there are currently approximately 7.64 billion active smartphones worldwide, a figure expected to increase steadily over the coming years. The resulting explosion in data traffic will place unprecedented demands on wireless communication networks.

"FT-IMMA enables massive numbers of devices to communicate seamlessly while significantly reducing communication overhead, one of the major causes of network congestion and slower connections," he explained.

As countries intensify the race to develop 6G technologies, researchers around the world are exploring new multiple-access techniques to overcome the limitations of future wireless systems.

"Through this research, scientists from Indonesian institutions, including UNU Jogja, have demonstrated that we are capable of contributing alongside leading international universities at the forefront of 6G innovation," Apraz concluded. [Arif]