ATIS’ Next G Alliance, the North American voice for 6G, and the 6G Industry Association (6G-IA), the private member of the EU Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU), today announced publication of the “EU-US Beyond 5G/6G Roadmap” — a major first step in affirming the two regions’ commitment to collaborating in the development of 6G networks. The document results from a request for the two organizations to provide an interim, joint, aligned 6G industry roadmap made during the fourth Ministerial meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC),[1] which took place in Luleå, Sweden, on May 31, 2023. The collaborative input to the roadmap will be considered for inclusion in a TTC 6G “shared vision” being established by the US and EU governments.
According to the joint statement between the two government administrations, “With this TTC 6G common vision as a basis, we aim to scale up the existing R&D cooperation on 6G between the US and EU funding agencies, namely the SNS JU and the National Science Foundation (NSF), create a critical mass among like-minded partners in global regulatory and standardization bodies, and cooperate in technology trials and pilots to foster market adoption.”
The document “EU-US Beyond 5G/6G Roadmap,” available at https://6g-ia.eu/plans-papers/ and https://nextgalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/EU-US-Aligned-6G-Roadmap-Joint-Paper.pdf, contains a set of key strategic observations and recommendations for 6G networks and services, capturing the views and priorities from the Next G Alliance and the SNS JU. It offers a candidate roadmap for future opportunities through EU and US funding. It also aims to provide directions for collaboration opportunities that will go beyond the scope of funding, assisting the academic and business stakeholders between the two sides of the Atlantic to identify mutually beneficial opportunities.
“The development of 6G smart networks and services requires different countries working together. A tighter collaboration between EU and US creates several mutual beneficial opportunities for the two regions. This document is the first step for such a collaboration,” says Colin Willcock, Chairman of the 6G-IA Board and Vice-Chairman of the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking Governing Board.
“6G will enable the delivery of transformational services and experiences with the potential for improving the daily lives of people around the world,” said David Young, ATIS Vice-President of Technology and Solutions and Managing Director of the Next G Alliance.
“The guiding principles and priorities outlined in this document provide a foundation for collaboration which will be important to successfully driving a global vision of success for 6G.”
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[1] The EU-US Trade and Technology Council serves as a forum for the United States and European Union to coordinate approaches to key global trade, economic, and technology issues and to deepen transatlantic trade and economic relations based on these shared values.
