European Telecommunications Standards Institute To Expect 6G Network By 2029-2030

European telecom operators can anticipate the arrival of 6G standards by 2029-2030, according to Jan Ellsberger, the new Director-General of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Ellsberger, who previously served as vice-president at Ericsson, shared this timeline in a recent interview with Euronews.

The preparatory work for 6G standards is set to begin soon, as the European Commission’s targets for 5G deployment across the EU remain unmet. Ellsberger emphasized that the industry aims for a 2029-2030 timeframe for the initial release of 6G standards, describing the transition as a “smooth evolution” from 5G rather than a revolutionary change.

ETSI, with over 950 member organizations across 65 countries, plays a crucial role in global telecommunication standardization through its involvement in 3GPPP, a consortium that develops mobile telecommunications protocols. Once the 6G specifications are finalized, they will be adopted as standards in regions including the EU, US, India, Japan, China, and South Korea.

The European Commission’s State of the Digital Decade Report, published in June, highlighted that the goal of universal 5G coverage by 2023 has not been achieved. An EU official warned in January that the slow rollout of 5G in Europe could delay the adoption of technologies dependent on fast internet, such as artificial intelligence.

Telecom lobby group ETNO also noted in a January report that significant additional investment is required to meet the EU’s targets for full 5G and gigabit coverage by the end of the decade.

Ellsberger mentioned that standardization requests from the European Commission constitute only a small portion of ETSI’s work, with around 70% of requests coming from the industry itself. He highlighted that the focus in Brussels will be on standardization in the coming years, as new legislation needs to be implemented and regulated through standards.

One notable example is the AI Act, which sets stringent rules for high-risk applications and became applicable earlier this month. The Standardisation Request supporting EU policy on AI was issued last May and assigned to CEN/CENELEC, with ETSI contributing.

Ellsberger explained that the time required to develop standards varies, depending on the topic and the level of industry commitment. He also mentioned that ETSI’s new mandate includes exploring new technologies like quantum computing and developing initiatives to train the next generation.



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