6G standardization: The technology realization step begins

Intro

6G standardization work so far has been focused on the value 6G should deliver in terms of improving future network connectivity and igniting new use cases. Now, the time has come to start shaping the 6G technology to deliver that value. We are well prepared after several years of technology research, both in-house and in collaboration projects with key industry players and leading academic institutions.

During the June 2025 3GPP meetings in Prague, the leading members of the ICT industry came together to scope and initiate the 6G technology studies.

 

Developing a new “G” is a challenging task and the scope of 6G studies that 3GPP will embark on is broad. The full 6G system design will be addressed, including both radio access network (RAN) and system architecture. Architecture and fundamental design choices for the radio access network, core network, operation and maintenance, security, and so on will all be part of the studies.

The actual work will start in August 2025 and last for 18 to 21 months, following the time plan outlined in our earlier blog post 6G standardization timeline and principles. Building on these studies, conducted during Release 20, Release 21 work items will deliver the first set of 6G specifications.

Our view is that the first 6G specifications should be completed by the end of 2028 to enable the first wave of commercial 6G deployments in 2030.

Architecture for 6G

The end-to-end architecture for 6G includes the devices, the RAN, and the core network. On the RAN side, a new architecture will be defined for connecting base stations and devices, including a new radio interface.

The overarching system architecture study will cover the core network and network management to address connectivity for 6G as well as new capabilities, including AI, integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), efficient data handling, and enhancements of the IMS (IP multimedia subsystem) architecture.

Ericsson believes that the Release 20 study should consider an intent-based and
programmable 6G architecture.

• Key for intent-based networks is RAN observability, where the network is able to monitor that traffic is delivered and prioritized according to the requested quality of service.
• When it comes to programmability, exposure to application programming interfaces (APIs) is vital, so that developers can take full advantage of the capabilities offered by the 6G system.

To enable the full set of 6G capabilities from the start, the 6G system studies will assume support for a standalone architecture. In practice, it means that the 6G RAN can be deployed independently from earlier generations. This is different compared to the early 5G non-standalone architecture (NSA) deployments, which were added on top of existing 4G networks to boost data rates. Currently, many CSPs are migrating their 5G NSA networks to 5G standalone deployments. With 5G standalone, CSPs can take full advantage of 5G and 5G advanced technologies while also preparing for the future migration to 6G.

 

6G radio access network

Multi-radio spectrum sharing

Migration from 5G to 6G in RAN will be based on multi-radio spectrum sharing, as discussed in the blog post Future 6G radio-access network and design choices. In short, multi- radio spectrum sharing allows a CSP to operate 5G and 6G in the same frequency band with an individual device being connected to either the 5G or 6G RAN. Release 20 will study multi-radio spectrum sharing and user mobility between 5G and 6G access technologies.

Open interfaces

The 6G RAN will include a set of open interfaces to support a competitive commercial ecosystem. The main advantage of open interfaces is that a CSP can deploy networks with equipment from different vendors. To facilitate this, 3GPP will study the interfaces between the different network entities that need to be interoperable.

For us, the key interfaces include:

• the interface between the 6G RAN and the core network,
• the 6G base station to 6G base station interface,
• the radio interface, and
• the lower-layer split, which supports a disaggregation of the RAN into two logical network functions – the radio unit and the radio network area function.

For 5G, the O-RAN alliance specifies the lower-layer split. In April 2025, 3GPP and O-RAN held a joint workshop focused on developing 6G. The workshop clearly indicated that O-RAN will continue to lead the development of the lower layer split also for 6G. Going forward, close interaction between 3GPP and O-RAN is crucial to ensure that the O-RAN 6G specifications complement the 3GPP 6G specifications with the ORAN timeline aligned with 3GPP.

Beyond the lower-layer split, alignment between the two organizations will be needed on aspects like AI/ML, service management and orchestration (SMO), and automation.

AI in RAN

To support AI-enhanced performance, 3GPP will study an AI/ML framework for 6G
considering the 5G AI/ML framework that is in place. The 6G AI/ML framework should support AI life cycle management procedures including:

• Configuration and activation of AI-powered functionality
• Verification and testing of performance.
• Fallback to conventional methods when needed.

The same framework will support multiple AI uses cases, providing simplified management and operation. AI use cases include AI-enhanced receiver performance, AI-aided mobility measurements, AI-aided positioning, and more.

Frequency bands

6G will be able to operate in all frequencies used by 5G, including those that will become available in the next few years (for example, upper 6 GHz). 6G will also be able to operate in the cmWave bands, that is, between 7 and 15 GHz. This spectrum is not yet available for cellular communication systems, but some frequency bands in this range are being studied for IMT identification by ITU-R. The 7.125-8.4 GHz range in particular is highly significant because of its proximity to the existing mid-band spectrum, which would allow reuse of existing deployment grids.

Moreover, the cmWave bands and the adjacent upper 6 GHz bands allow increased numbers of antenna elements compared to lower frequencies – both in base stations and devices. The Release 20 study will explore how larger antenna arrays improve spectral efficiency and uplink coverage. The latter, especially, is important when deploying 6G equipment supporting the new frequencies on CSP’s existing deployment grids.

Core network for 6G

Standalone architecture

The main task of the system architecture study is to define the overall standalone 6G architecture, including the core network for 6G. The first step is to identify which capabilities and network functions (NFs) can be reused from the 5G core (5GC) and where new functionalities need to be defined, such as adding NFs to support new features.

Ericsson’s assumption is that a majority of the 5GC can be reused and extended to support the existing and essential connectivity services also over the new 6G RAT. This includes regulatory-related services like telephony and emergency services, but the need to consider interworking with 5G and 4G and to support roaming from the start are other driving factors for this approach.

Connectivity

The connectivity area includes:

• Control plane for 6G, including mobility and session management.
• User plane for 6G.
• Migration and interworking aspects with 5G and 4G.
• How to support non-3GPP access besides the new 6G radio interface.

In addition to support for the new 6G RAT, the study will include aspects of modernization and improvements of the aforementioned 5GC NFs, along with any potential enhancements to the IMS architecture.

Services beyond connectivity

Enabling the creation of new revenue-generating services is also part of the vision for 6G. Hence, the scope of the study includes new services and capabilities beyond connectivity, like sensing, efficient data handling, and AI.

AI is a tool to enhance 6G functionality but also creates new service opportunities. To enhance the functionality of 6G, AI is largely a realization technique for functions in the network architecture, not a function or an architecture per se. But AI can also be used to improve the operations of 6G networks or even expose insights from the network creating new service offerings for CSPs.

Sensing is a technology that enables us to acquire information about the characteristics of the environment and objects in the environment. Sensing in a mobile system uses radio frequency to determine, for example, the presence, distance (range), angle, or instantaneous velocity of objects. When sensing is integrated into a communication system like the 6G mobile system, then this is denoted as Integrated Communication and Sensing (ISAC).

AI and sensing are two examples of 6G services, which generate data that may require more efficient support from the 6G system architecture. 6G is envisioned to support a data architecture for many different data types from the RAN and core networks. That data architecture should be agnostic to data use cases and support the principle of collecting data once for multiple uses.

6G capabilities

The 6G technology developed by 3GPP will need to pass the requirements qualifying it as an IMT-2030 technology. These requirements include traditional metrics such as data rate, spectral efficiency, and system capacity, as well as new requirements relating to differentiated connectivity, sustainable communication, sensing, and positioning.

3GPP will define additional requirements that extend beyond those set by the ITU and with a focus on commercial aspects (6G standardization: 3GPP takes the next step). In Release 20, 3GPP will study the functionality and attributes required to meet these requirements.

Cell edge data rates

A key aspect of each new G is to improve coverage or, more specifically, improve the cell edge data rate. This improves the experience for users in the worst radio conditions. There are multiple ways of doing this, depending on the types of devices and the specific circumstances considered.

Ericsson proposes 3GPP to study a decoupling of downlink and uplink carrier selection. This will enable 6G to pair spectrum from a higher frequency band, for example, cmWave or upper mid-band, for downlink communication with the uplink in a lower frequency band, like mid-band or low-band. This allows a high downlink data rate using wide carriers with advanced antennas combined with the improved uplink coverage provided by the lower frequency.

Energy consumption

 

Network energy consumption will be a key topic in 6G. Lowering energy consumption reduces the carbon footprint of mobile networks and drives down the operational cost for the operator. The importance of network energy consumption is presented in our white paper Ericsson's 6G RAN vision: Boosting energy efficiency.

Device energy efficiency is also important, to allow longer battery times. Hence, the 6G study should focus on improving both device and network energy efficiency.

Device diversity

The 6G study should target a scalable design to support a wide variety of device types while minimizing the number of options defined in the standard. Such a design will allow 6G to not only support advanced devices but also include a new massive IoT technology.

The introduction of 6G massive IoT will provide operators with a long-term replacement of Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) and LTE-M. While massive IoT devices for 6G may not be demanded by the market in the beginning, it is important that support for massive IoT is an integral part of 6G from the start, with as much commonality with the “basic” 6G as possible.

At the high end of the device scale is support for XR devices and immersive communication. The design philosophy is that the same basic design should accommodate both of these use cases, as well as those that fall in between. That said, high-end devices must, of course, also support features like lower latency and higher data rates to meet the specific requirements of advanced applications.

Resilience

There will be renewed emphasis on resilience in 6G. The 6G technology will not only be designed to be more robust but also provide mechanisms to anticipate and deal with unforeseen events before a potential interruption of the connectivity service. Satellite access networks, for example, will be an integral part of the 6G study and improve the overall 6G resilience. 6G will consider non-terrestrial network (NTN) operation without global navigation satellite system (GNSS) availability, something that is not possible for 5G NTN or IoT NTN.

A new baseline

The 6G studies and subsequent standards will offer extensive functionality with detailed work carried out in various technical areas such as MIMO, mobility, and protocol design. This will set a new baseline for state-of-the-art networks to improve communications and services beyond communication for the future.

The next steps in 6G standardization

The technical studies preparing for the standardization of 6G will start already in August 2025, in parallel with the finalization of 6G performance requirements. The study will be followed by a normative phase in 2027 during which the 6G technical specifications will be developed.

 

 

Read more

6G spectrum - enabling the future mobile life beyond 2030, white paper, March 2023

Why every decision on 6G must put sustainability first, blog-post, Aug 2023

Six talking points for architecting the next wireless generation, blog-post, Sept 2023

6G Network Architecture – a proposal for early alignment, Ericsson Technology Review, Oct 2023

6G Security – drivers and needs, white paper, May 2024

Intent-driven networks is a key step in the journey to autonomous networks, white paper, Feb 2025

Beyond bit-pipes – new opportunities on the 6G platform, Ericsson Technology review, July 2024