6G Global Summit 2025

After years of conceptual debate and theoretical research, the conversation around 6G is beginning to mature. As research programmes accelerate and standardisation timelines come into focus, this session will look at whether industry and policymakers are ready to move beyond speculation and towards concrete implementation choices. It will explore how the 6G vision has evolved since its early conception, what elements are now firmly defined, and which critical uncertainties still shape the road ahead.
 

• To what extent has the 6G vision now become sufficiently developed that we can stop talking about what it could be, and instead switch to discuss what it will be and towards concrete implementation?
• At its first conception, 6G was described as a radical departure from 5G. Is this still the case? How does the roadmap and vision seen today compare with that proposed in early 6G white papers?
• Is the focus still on a performance-led vision, or has there been a pivot towards other more human-centric elements such as sustainability and digital inclusion?
• What are the key usage scenarios that are shaping today’s 6G vision, and how are these expected to drive its development and adoption?
• What key technical priorities are emerging within early 6G standards discussions, and how will these shape the capabilities and architecture of future networks?
• How influential has the ITU’s 6G “hexagon” framework been in shaping the vision of 6G today? Does it provide a sufficiently balanced foundation for 6G development?
• What are the key technical, economic and policy challenges that remain unresolved and what is the path ahead?
• What lessons from the deployment of 5G should most strongly inform 6G design choices, particularly in terms of business models and real-world adoption?

As the global conversation around 6G moves from early vision to practical implementation, focus is starting to switch to the standards process. Decisions around made in the coming years will be critical in defining the technical architecture, capabilities and timelines for next-generation networks, and are taking place in a complex environment shaped by national research strategies, industrial competition and broader geopolitical dynamics. Maintaining globally interoperable standards has been a defining feature of previous generations of mobile technology, but growing emphasis on digital sovereignty and regional industrial policy raises new questions about whether the same level of alignment can be achieved for 6G. This session will explore how the global standards process for 6G is beginning to unfold, the roles played by organisations such as the ITU and 3GPP, and how policymakers, industry and standards bodies can work together to ensure that the next generation of connectivity is built on a foundation of global cooperation.
 

• In what areas are we seeing national and regional 6G strategies around the world converging, and where are divergent pathways becoming apparent?
• As the 6G standards process begins, what are the key milestones and timelines expected over the coming years?
• What technical priorities and capabilities are emerging as the main focus areas for early standardisation work?
• To what extent are regional strategies for “digital sovereignty” and current geopolitical challenges more broadly risking a fractured, non-interoperable 6G ecosystem? How can policymakers balance domestic priorities with the need for global coordination?
• How can the global community ensure that the standards process remains open and collaborative? What role can international bodies such as the ITU, 3GPP play alongside regional standards groups in helping to deliver this?
• What role will national and regional research initiatives play in shaping the direction of global 6G standards?

As connectivity becomes more pervasive and network architectures grow increasingly complex, cybersecurity will be a central pillar in the development of the 6G ecosystem. Ensuring trust, resilience and security across this highly distributed and intelligent network environment will therefore be essential. This session will examine the evolving cybersecurity landscape for next-generation networks, exploring how governments, regulators, operators and technology providers can work together to strengthen security frameworks, protect critical infrastructure and build secure-by-design 6G systems.
 

• What new cybersecurity risks are likely to emerge as networks evolve toward the 6G era?
• How will the integration of technologies such as AI, cloud-native infrastructure and non-terrestrial networks affect the cybersecurity landscape?
• What steps can operators and technology providers take to ensure that security is built into 6G systems from the design stage?
• How can governments and regulators support stronger cybersecurity frameworks for next-generation digital infrastructure?
• What role will international cooperation play in addressing cybersecurity threats that increasingly operate across borders?

As research and early policy discussions around 6G accelerate, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) are emerging as a critical component of the future connectivity ecosystem. The relationship between satellite and terrestrial mobile networks is evolving rapidly, from historically separate infrastructures to increasingly integrated systems designed to deliver seamless, global connectivity. Advances in satellite constellations, direct-to-device technologies, and 3GPP NTN standards are opening new possibilities for hybrid network architectures that combine terrestrial, aerial and space-based platforms. In the 6G era, NTN could play an important role in extending coverage to underserved areas, enhancing network resilience, enabling new use cases such as global IoT and sensing, and supporting the integration of communications with navigation and observation systems. This session will explore how satellite and mobile technologies are converging, the opportunities and challenges associated with integrating NTN into future networks, and what role space-based connectivity may play in the development of the 6G ecosystem.
 

• How is the relationship between satellite operators and mobile network operators evolving as we move toward the 6G era?
• What role could Non-Terrestrial Networks play in the overall architecture of 6G, particularly in enabling ubiquitous and resilient connectivity?
• How can terrestrial and satellite networks be integrated to deliver seamless user experiences across different environments and geographies?
• What technological developments—such as direct-to-device connectivity, advanced spectrum sharing, or AI-driven network management—will be needed to enable effective NTN integration?
• What lessons can be drawn from early deployments and trials of NTN and satellite-to-device services in the 5G era?
• What policy, spectrum and regulatory frameworks will be required to support the large-scale integration of satellite and terrestrial networks in the 6G ecosystem?

As the 6G vision moves closer to implementation, attention is increasingly turning to the enabling technologies that will underpin future networks. Unlike previous generations, where intelligence was layered onto largely static architectures, 6G is expected to be AI-native by design — embedding intelligence directly into network planning, operation and service delivery. This raises important questions not only for industry, but also for policymakers and regulators. Technologies such as native AI, integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), reconfigurable intelligent surfaces and AI-driven radio access networks offer significant opportunities to enhance efficiency, automation and network capability, but they also challenge existing regulatory frameworks, governance models and spectrum policies. This session will examine the impact that these key ‘technology pillars’ will have across different elements of 6G, and at how they are set to reshape future network architectures and the policy landscape that governs them. It will explore the opportunities that AI-native 6G means for regulatory oversight, resilience, accountability and interoperability, and consider how public policy can support innovation while ensuring trust, transparency and alignment with wider societal objectives such as sustainability, security and inclusion.

• How central will AI and other key technology pillars be to the development and operation of 6G networks? What new capabilities will their integration make possible?
• What does it truly mean for 6G to be “AI-native” and how are regulators preparing for this? Are current regulatory and spectrum frameworks sufficiently future-proof to accommodate increasingly autonomous and intelligent networks, or is a more fundamental rethink required?
• How can emerging technologies help to make spectrum allocation and usage more efficient as we move towards 6G? How must licensing models evolve to support AI-driven, real-time spectrum sharing and Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS)?
• How can governments enable innovation and efficiency gains from AI-native networks while managing risks around trust, accountability, societal impact; as well as the energy demands of large-scale AI computing?
• Beyond AI, which technologies are emerging as the key technological pillars of 6G, and how will their integration underpin future performance and use-case delivery?
• What are the key use cases for integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) in 6G, and how can joint sensing and communication capabilities transform applications like environmental monitoring, security, and intelligent computing networks?

WRC-27 studies are progressing on the identification of potential pioneer bands for 6G, but at the same time, important developments are unfolding across regions and beyond the formal ITU agenda. Regional differences are emerging in terms of frequency ranges and approaches that are being seen, and it is looking increasingly likely that these regional and national initiatives may shape early 6G deployment just as much as globally identified bands. This session will look to provide an update on the work that is being done around the world on the development of 6G spectrum roadmaps and to explore the viability of key candidate bands across the mid-band frequencies and elsewhere. Against this backdrop, it will then discuss whether the traditional model of harmonized ‘pioneer’ bands is still the best approach in today’s ecosystem, or whether a more technologically neutral approach to spectrum management could better allow for regional differences and support innovation, investment, and equitable access in the 6G era.
 

• What are the most significant recent developments in 6G spectrum planning across different regions, and where are we seeing the greatest convergence and divergence in terms of candidate bands and regulatory approaches?
• Which mid-band frequencies are emerging as the most viable for early 6G deployment across regions, and what technical or coexistence challenges could limit their usability in practice?
• How much confidence is there today in the viability of the WRC-27 candidate bands, and are some bands gaining or losing momentum as regional studies progress?
• How should countries and regions balance national priorities and local spectrum constraints with the benefits of global coordination when shaping their 6G spectrum roadmaps?
• How should future 6G roadmaps balance the identification of new bands with the potential use of existing harmonised spectrum?
• Is it time to rethink the model of harmonised ‘pioneer’ bands? Is it becoming more acceptable for 6G to be deployed across different bands in different regions, provided there is sufficient regional harmonisation to support devices and equipment?

Whilst attention at the moment is quite rightly on initial 6G deployment and spectrum roadmaps, at the same time there is a need to look further ahead, and at what the spectrum landscape needs to look like in the longer-term to support future 6G  evolution. Ten years from now, the 6G connectivity ecosystem is expected to extend well beyond traditional mobile networks, combining terrestrial and non-terrestrial systems, licensed and unlicensed technologies, and a wide range of new services and providers. At the same time, policy priorities such as sustainability, resilience, and digital inclusion are likely to play a much greater role in shaping spectrum decisions alongside capacity and performance requirements. This session will examine how spectrum policy and regulatory frameworks may need to evolve to support this more complex and dynamic future. It will explore how technological advances could change the way spectrum is accessed and managed, how different frequency ranges may be used over time, and how regulators can balance long-term flexibility with investment certainty. The discussion will also consider whether existing allocation and licensing models remain fit for purpose, or whether new approaches will be needed to ensure that spectrum continues to support innovation, coexistence, and equitable access as 6G matures beyond 2030.

• How might the connectivity ecosystem evolve over the next decade, and what long-term implications does this have for spectrum policy decisions being taken today?
• In what ways could new and advancing technologies change how spectrum is allocated, shared, and managed in the long-term 6G era?
• What role will non-terrestrial networks, unlicensed technologies, and other alternative connectivity systems play alongside IMT to deliver future connectivity, and how should this be reflected in spectrum frameworks?
• What might shifting priorities towards more human-centric elements such as sustainability and digital inclusion mean for the technology mix that is used for 6G and the spectrum that is required to deliver this?
• What connectivity demands are likely to define the long-term 6G era beyond 2030, and how should these shape future spectrum planning today?
• Are current spectrum allocation and licensing models sufficient for the 6G era, or will new approaches be needed to support dynamic and multi-use connectivity?

While 6G promises transformative capabilities, fundamental questions remain around who will pay, how value will be captured, and whether sustainable returns on investment are achievable. And with returns from 5G proving slower and more uneven than expected, operators, policymakers and industry leaders are now working hard to ensure that 6G can deliver a more compelling investment case. This session examines what must change to ensure 6G succeeds economically, exploring how new capabilities, evolving business models and closer collaboration across the ecosystem could unlock sustainable value. It will assess the investment case for operators, vendors and vertical industries, and consider whether 6G requires a break from traditional connectivity-led revenue models. And finally it will look at the role that governments can play in reducing risk and enabling early momentum.
 

• Given that 5G ROI has been slower than anticipated, how can operators justify 6G investment?
• What lessons can be learnt and what needs to be done to enable 6G to succeed where 5G struggled commercially? Does 6G require new pricing, partnership or platform models to succeed?
• What are the credible business models underpinning 6G deployment and what new monetizable services is it expected to bring? Where will ROI realistically come from — consumer, enterprise, public sector or verticals?
• What potential is offered by the emergence of ISAC, AI-native design, and real-time digital twins and the pivot to ‘intelligence-as-a-service’? Can they help to generate sufficient enterprise value to justify the cost of deployment?
• How do spectrum strategy, deployment costs and energy efficiency affect the 6G investment case?
• What role should governments and public funding play in de-risking early 6G investment?