What is 6G?
6G will not only build on existing technologies, it will radically transform what a network can do. We believe it will liberate human potential, inclusively and sustainably.
WatchSummary
Why do we need 6G?
6G will fuse the human, physical and digital worlds. This will deliver a network that takes us from connectivity to togetherness, information to knowledge and effectiveness to purpose. 6G will help us redefine how we live, work and take care of our planet.
6G research and vision
Explore the latest Nokia Bell Labs innovations and research that will shape the future 6G landscape.
6G technologies
Nokia Bell Labs has identified six key technologies that will be vital components of future 6G networks
- New spectrum technologies
- AI native air interface
- Network as a sensor
- Extreme connectivity
- Cognitive, automated & specialized architectures
- Security, trust and privacy
6G beyond the network
As the physical, human and digital worlds become increasingly linked to the 6G network, 6G will encompass a range of technologies beyond networking.
We are leading the 6G ecosystem
Hexa-X
Explore Nokia’s crucial role in Hexa-X, and how they are collaborating to define the European blueprint for 6G development.
Hexa-X-II
The Hexa-X-II project has been awarded funding from the European Commission as part of the first call of the Smart Network and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS-JU). This is the next significant step toward bringing together key industry stakeholders in Europe.
Next G Alliance
Nokia is a founding member of the Next G Alliance, leveraging its strong role in deploying 5G in the US, to shape the direction of 6G.
NSF RINGS
The Resilient and Intelligent Next-Generation Systems program, or RINGS, is an initiative led by the US National Science Foundation that focuses on the development of next-generation technologies.
6G-ANNA
Nokia is leading 6G-ANNA, a lighthouse project funded by the German government that will drive 6G research and pre-standardization efforts in Europe.
6G white papers
Communications for the 6G era
In this paper, Preben Mogensen and Harish Viswanathan share a vision for a 6G future as well as a practical approach to achieving that future. They explain how we can connect the physical, human and digital worlds by creating a real-time twin of the world we live in.
Explore our 6G research in detail
Extreme communications in 6G: Vision and challenges for ‘in-X' subnetworks
Extreme massive MIMO for macro cell capacity boost in 5G-Advanced and 6G
Security and trust in the 6G era
Joint design of communication and sensing for beyond 5G and 6G systems
Toward a 6G AI native air interface
Integrated solutions for deployment of 6G mobile networks
On a journey to 6G
We expect 6G to launch commercially by 2030. Standardization phase 1 will likely start from 2025 leading to the first 6G specification in 3GPP Release 21 by 2028. Meanwhile 5G will be enhanced by 5G-Advanced, which will be a key focus for 3GPP in Release 18 onward. 5G-Advanced will power commercial public & private networks starting in 2025, providing new 5G features and boosting 5G capabilities before 6G arrives at the end of the decade.
