Peter Stuckmann, Head of Unit, Future Connectivity Systems, European Commission

      Recent years and in particular the COVID‐19 crisis have shown us the importance of resilient and high‐speed communications infrastructure. Trust and acceptance in connectivity infrastructure has grown as global societies have discovered its added value and the possibilities for remote working, but also for citizens’ daily lives. Business has understood the critical importance of high‐speed networks and technologies in maintaining operations and processes. The crisis illustrates both the potential that 5G networks have to provide the connectivity basis for the digital and green recovery in the short to mid‐term, and the need to build technology capacities for the following generation – 6G – in the long term.

5G technology and standards will evolve in the next few years in several phases, just as deployment advances. Operators worldwide have launched commercial 5G networks in major cities. This early deployment will build on 4G networks and will aim primarily at enhancing mobile broadband services for consumers and businesses. Huge investments need to be unlocked for the more comprehensive deployment covering all urban areas and major transport paths by 2025. 5G technology is expected to evolve towards new ‘stand‐alone’ 5G core networks enabling industrial applications such as Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) and industry 4.0. These will be a first step towards digitising and greening our entire economy. The growth potential in economic activity enabled by 5G and later 6G networks and services has been estimated to be in the order of €3 trillion by 2030¹. For such critical services, we need to ensure that 5G networks will be sufficiently secure.

      R&I initiatives on 6G technologies are now starting in leading regions world‐wide, with the first products and infrastructures expected for the end of this decade. 6G systems are expected to offer a new step change in performance from Gigabit towards Terabit capacities and sub‐millisecond response times, to enable new critical applications such as real‐time automation or extended reality (“Internet of Senses”) collecting and providing the sensor data for nothing less than a digital twin of the physical world.

      Moreover, new smart network technologies and architectures will be needed to enhance drastically the energy efficiency of connectivity platforms despite major traffic growth and keep electromagnetic fields (EMF) under safety limits. They will form the technology base for a human‐centric Next‐Generation Internet (NGI) and address Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as accessibility and affordability of technology.

All parts of the world are starting to be heavily engaged in 6G developments. There will be opportunities and challenges concerning new business models and players through software networks with architectures such as Open‐RAN² and the convergence with new technologies in the area of cloud and edge computing, AI, as well as components and devices beyond smartphones.

      Firstly, success in 6G will depend on the extent regions will succeed in building a solid 5G infrastructure, on which 6G technology experiments and, later, 6G deployments can build. In this context, building 5G ecosystems will be of key importance, also because industry R&I investments tend to relocate where markets are more advanced.

Secondly, 6G will require taking a broader value chain approach, ranging from connectivity to components and devices beyond smartphones with the massive development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and connected objects like cars or robots. They also exist on the service side, with edge computing integrated in connectivity platforms and cloud computing enabling advanced service provisioning, e.g. for big data and AI.

      One important success factor to create and seize such opportunities is to be a standard setter in 6G and the related technology fields. Both future users and suppliers need to shape key technology standards in the field of radio communications, but also in next‐generation network architecture to ensure the delivery of advanced service features, e.g. through the effective use of software technologies and open interfaces, while meeting energy‐efficiency requirements.

      Spectrum resources are another key factor that will determine success in 6G. Whereas bands currently allocated for mobile communications will be reused for 6G, new frequency bands will be identified and harmonised. Industry and governments need to identify the opportunities related to spectrum that can be suitable for 6G and be made available with the potential to be harmonised at global level. 6G technology will also have the potential to make a further step towards a multi‐purpose service platform replacing legacy radio services for dedicated applications. This could help the progress in defragmenting the radio spectrum and drastically enhance spectrum efficiency that will in turn free up new bands for 6G or other purposes.

      Such outcomes in global standardisation and spectrum harmonisation need to be prepared by proactive and effective international cooperation at government and industry‐level. This includes regular dialogues with leading regions and possible focused joint initiatives in R&I, standardisation or regulation.

      I am looking forward to the creativity and ambition of the global research and innovation community to shape the new generation of communication technology throughout this decade.

      Let’s kick this off!

      Peter Stuckmann

      Head of Unit, Future Connectivity Systems, European Commission

      Notes