09 February 2021

The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) board has launched a 6G project, while continuing its 5G efforts, it said.

NGMN published the first 5G White Paper in 2015, which helped pave the way for standardising 5G and its commercialisation. A second 5G White Paper (5GWP2) followed in July 2020

The new 6G Vision and Drivers project is designed to provide early and timely direction for global activities around the next generation. NGMN will facilitate an information exchange within its internal partnership and with relevant external stakeholders.

With its new “6G Vision and Drivers” project, NGMN intends to provide early and timely direction for global 6G activities, which will develop the mobile network technology for operation in the future. In this context, NGMN will also facilitate an information exchange within its internal partnership and relevant external stakeholders. NGMN  said it is “very excited” to be working on this future vision project and to set the footprint for generations to come.

“As we continue to implement and further develop 5G to maximize the benefit of its potential, our goal as NGMN is to remain at the forefront of next generation mobile networks,” said

Arash Ashouriha, SVP group technology innovation, Deutsche Telekom and chairman of the board of NGMN said. “It is therefore essential that we start anticipating the future societal needs and elaborate the drivers for mobile communications in the future.”

Anita Döhler, CEO of NGMN added: “The NGMN Board is committed to further drive the implementation of 5G. At the same time, we are looking at the future with our new work on 6G. Our organisation with its network operators, vendors and research associations has played such an important role for the requirements setting of 4G and 5G, and we will continue to provide guidance also for the next generation mobile networks beyond 5G. Interested parties are welcome to contribute to the “NGMN 6G Vision and Drivers” activity.”