advertisementEU operators expect 6G standards for next-generation mobile networks to be ready by 2029-2030, according to Jan Elsberger, the new secretary general of European standards organization ETSI.
Elsberger, a former vice president at Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson, told Euronews in an interview that the preparatory work will begin soon, as the European Commission currently has targets for rolling out 5G across the EU but the bloc’s 27 member states remain elusive.
“The industry is targeting the first release of 6G standards by 2029-2030. That’s the ambition,” he said, adding that 6G would not represent a major revolution, but rather a “smooth evolution” of 5G.
With more than 950 member organizations in 65 countries, ETSI is tasked with establishing globally applicable standards and is one of the driving forces behind global communications standardization within 3GPPP, the global consortium developing protocols for mobile communications.
Once the 6G specifications are ready, they will be adopted as standard in all participating regions: EU, US, India, Japan, China and South Korea.
In its “Digital Decade Status Report” published in June, the European Commission said the goal of achieving universal 5G coverage by 2023 remains to be met.
EU officials warned in January that the still-sluggish rollout of 5G in Europe would slow the adoption of other technologies that rely on high-speed internet, such as artificial intelligence.
Similarly, telecoms lobby group ETNO warned in a January report that rollout still requires significant additional investment before EU targets of full 5G rollout and full gigabit coverage by the end of the century can be met.
AI Standards
Standardization requests from the European Commission represent only a small part of ETSI’s work, with around 70% coming from industry itself.
Elsberger said the focus in Brussels over the next few years will be on standardization. “All of the laws that have been adopted now need to be implemented, and that regulation needs standards. ETSI will provide part of that work,” he said.
One example to come out of the last commission was the AI Act, the EU’s tough rules to regulate high-risk applications that came into force earlier this month.
A call for standardization to support EU policy on AI was published in May last year and submitted to two other EU standardization bodies, CEN/CENELEC, with ETSI also listed as a contributor.
Ellsberger said it could take months or years for standards to be developed, depending on the topic.
“Standardization is a voluntary request from the industry. The more involvement there is from the industry, the faster standardization will proceed,” he said.
One of ETSI’s other priorities in its new mandate is to look at new technologies, including quantum, as well as developing a skills initiative to nurture the next generation.
