Global telecom industry accelerates towards 6G standardisation with AI and sustainability at the core

Industry leaders and organisations like NGMN and 3GPP are shaping the future of 6G, emphasising global collaboration, AI integration, and sustainable development to revolutionise connectivity beyond 5G.

As the global telecommunications industry stands on the cusp of a new era in connectivity, the dialogue around 6G is moving from speculative discussions to concrete stages of development and standardisation. The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN), a leading operator-led organisation, has underscored the critical importance of global collaboration to ensure a harmonised, efficient, and sustainable evolution towards 6G. Anchored by the advancements encapsulated in 3GPP’s Release 20, the industry is poised not only to build on 5G’s foundations but also to address emergent challenges, including AI integration, quantum safety, and network resilience.

5G’s promise remains unfolding, yet the transition to 6G is being meticulously shaped by key industry players, mobile network operators, vendors, and academic researchers working in concert. According to the NGMN’s ‘6G Key Messages – An Operator View,’ the future 6G networks should deliver significant user value enhancements beyond those possible with 5G, all while simplifying network complexity and ensuring environmental sustainability. The alliance advocates for an evolutionary migration path that minimises complexity, emphasising that 6G deployments should not rigidly require complete hardware refreshes but instead leverage software upgrades where feasible, particularly in existing frequency bands. Such a phased approach aims to ensure business sustainability and a seamless user experience, with features like native voice support available from the start.

Central to this vision is the structured progression defined by 3GPP’s Release 20. This milestone finalises enhancements for 5G-Advanced while initiating the technical groundwork for 6G, with Stage 1 service requirement studies completed by mid-2025 and Stage 2 architectural analyses progressing into 2026. Industry leaders, such as Nokia, have noted that this approach balances immediate deployment demands and the transformative potential of 6G, clarifying that any new radio technologies must demonstrate significant performance benefits beyond the 5G-Advanced baseline to justify their adoption. The emphasis on modularity, flexibility, and openness within future network architectures is designed to maximise operational efficiency and empower the development of market-relevant services.

As the landscape of innovation evolves, artificial intelligence stands out as a pivotal force reshaping both telecommunications and society at large. The dual concepts of ‘Networks for AI’, using AI to optimise and manage network operations, and ‘AI for Networks’, designing infrastructure capable of supporting AI workloads, are viewed as critical considerations for 6G architecture. Samsung, a prominent player in this space, highlights an AI-native network vision where systems learn and optimise autonomously, achieved through collaborative frameworks involving academia and industry alliances globally. This AI-centric approach is expected to dramatically enhance user experiences and operational efficiencies.

Security and trustworthiness remain essential pillars underpinning the global 6G roadmap. The NGMN stresses the necessity of embedding security and privacy intrinsically within 6G systems to confront emerging threats proactively. This includes adopting advanced paradigms such as quantum-safe cryptography and zero-trust architectures, designed to safeguard user data and ensure resilient network operations. Furthermore, sustainability goals are at the forefront, with future networks needing to be environmentally responsible, economically viable, and socially conscientious, balancing innovation with the pragmatics of deployment and operational costs.

Collaborative efforts extend beyond conceptual frameworks into concrete technology developments. For instance, Ericsson, Nokia, and Fraunhofer HHI have partnered to pioneer a next-generation video coding standard optimized for 6G, promising higher compression efficiency and improved energy performance. This innovation targets the burgeoning demands of immersive media and AI-generated content, showcasing Europe’s leadership in telecom standardisation. Meanwhile, strategic investments such as Nvidia’s $1 billion funding in Nokia underline a broader commitment to integrating AI capabilities at the edge, enhancing wireless infrastructure to handle intensive AI workloads and drive the future of intelligent network design.

The industry consensus crystallises in the call for global alignment on 6G standards, vital for fostering seamless evolution and wide-scale adoption. The NGMN, by driving clarity through operator-led requirements and facilitating cross-sector collaboration, plays a critical role in uniting diverse stakeholders behind a coherent vision. As the foundational stages of 6G definition unfold, this collective approach aims to balance technological ambition with practical implementation considerations, ensuring 6G’s emergence is both innovative and inclusive. The journey to 6G is unquestionably complex, but with coordinated efforts and a focus on sustainability, security, and user-centric innovation, the telecommunications ecosystem is preparing to deliver the next leap in global connectivity.

📌 Reference Map:

• ^[1] Innovation News Network – Paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
• ^[2] 3GPP – Paragraphs 2, 3
• ^[3] Nokia Blog – Paragraphs 3, 4
• ^[4] NGMN – Paragraphs 2, 5, 7
• ^[5] Samsung Newsroom – Paragraph 6
• ^[6] TV Technology – Paragraph 7
• ^[7] TechRadar – Paragraph 7

Source: Fuse Wire Services