Research institutions around the world agree that 6G will be deployed by 2030
Research organizations, associations and consortia dedicated to researching, developing and advancing 6G technology are popping up in all regions of the world, many with a focus on making the next generation of mobile telecommunications as sustainable as possible, ensuring connectivity in the most remote parts of the globe, whether in mountainous regions, at sea or to every rural or urban home.
Below we outline five of these 6G organizations.
1. Next Generation G Alliance
ATIS’ Next G Alliance is a private sector-led effort aimed at positioning North America as a leader in 6G technology over the next decade. The group’s focus is on research, development and commercialization of 6G systems.
One of the Group’s research priorities is sustainability, with projects on reusing and reducing water, waste and materials in ICT networks, optimizing radio and core architectures, reducing the environmental impact of supply chains and achieving decarbonization of networks.
Other research priorities for the Next G Alliance include applications such as distributed sensing and communications, robotics and autonomous systems, XR use cases, societal and economic needs such as digital equity and data privacy, technologies such as advanced MIMO and sub-THz, and the development of AI-native interfaces.
2. 6G Smart Network and Service Industry Association (6G-IA)
Across the Atlantic, the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) is focusing on a range of areas related to 6G, including standardisation, frequency spectrum, R&D projects, technical skills and collaboration with key vertical industry sectors.
Notably, the association is particularly interested in developing testing and fostering international cooperation in these key areas: “6G-IA brings together the global industry community of communications and digital stakeholders, including operators, manufacturers, research institutes, universities, vertical markets, SMEs and ICT associations,” the association’s website states.
The 6G-IA also states that it “represents the private side” in the 5G Public-Private Partnership (5G-PPP) and the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU), with the European Commission representing the public side in both of these initiatives.
The 6G-IA and the US’s Next G Alliance jointly published the “EU-US Beyond 5G/6G Roadmap” earlier this year, which the two groups described as “a major step in confirming the commitment of both regions to cooperate on the development of 6G networks.”
“Building on this shared TTC 6G vision, we aim to expand existing research and development collaboration on 6G between U.S. and EU funding agencies,” they said in a statement, adding that in doing so, they will “create critical mass among like-minded partners in global regulatory and standardization bodies.”
3. China’s IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group
Established by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in June 2019, China’s 6G Promotion Group brings together Chinese government agencies, universities, telecommunications companies, equipment manufacturers, chipset and terminal manufacturers to promote 6G in a wide range of fields, not only at the technical level but also in terms of economic and social impact.
Like the other groups mentioned above, China’s 6G Promotion Group lists as its main goal promoting international cooperation in the development and deployment of 6G systems.
China has issued statements outlining plans to begin commercializing 6G technology by 2030, with standard setting for the technology expected to be achieved around 2025. “In terms of 6G development, each country is at the early stage of technological research, and unified standards for 6G network construction and key technologies have not yet been formed,” said Wang Zhiqin, head of China’s 6G promotion team and vice president of the China Academy of Information and Communications Sciences.
According to Wang, 6G-related research has opened up new application scenarios, such as the convergence of communications and sensing, the convergence of communications and artificial intelligence, and large-scale IoT based on the integration of satellite and terrestrial mobile communications.
4. Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium
Japan’s Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium says on its website that its goal is to enable “early and smooth introduction of Beyond 5G,” which includes promoting Open RAN, network autonomy, scalability, ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low latency.
The consortium also aims to increase the “international competitiveness” of mobile phone technology beyond what will be seen with 5G “to realize the strong and vibrant society expected in the 2030s.”
The group released a 283-page white paper titled “A Message for the 2030s,” which details what it says are the requirements for communications systems to function as “social infrastructure,” as well as key concepts, network requirements, functions, architectures, and technologies for 5G-Advanced (5G-A) and beyond.
5. Bharat 6G Alliance and 6G Flagship Partnership
This last one has two advantages: India’s Bharat 6G Alliance is an initiative run by Indian industry, academia, national research institutes and standards bodies focused on the design, development and deployment of 6G systems technologies. In June 2024, the Alliance signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Finland-based 6G Flagship program to accelerate research activities in the 6G space.
Specific areas of joint research include cooperation on 6G requirements, architecture and use cases, identifying common interests, building consensus and helping develop globally harmonized standards. Moreover, a central theme of the partnership is the concept of a “Common 6G Vision,” which will foster collaboration between European and Indian R&D organizations and industry as they advance telecommunications networks and infrastructure. The collaboration will help build secure and reliable communications and resilient supply chains, as well as enabling digital inclusion globally, they said..
“This collaboration with the Bharat 6G Alliance is a strategic move to advance our research and development efforts and achieve our common goal of driving digitalisation of society.[z]”Through cutting-edge 6G technology, we will drive social transformation,” said 6G Flagship Director Professor Mati Latva-Aho. “By aligning priorities and pooling resources, we can unlock new possibilities and accelerate the delivery of transformative 6G capabilities on a global scale.”
Bharat 6G Alliance has also signed MoUs with NextG Alliance and 6G-IA in the US.
