While no spectrum for 6G has yet been identified at either the international or national level, some telecoms equipment vendors have begun to propose specific bands for 6G. A diverse range of spectrum bands will be considered, including sub 1 GHz and potentially Terahertz spectrum. Read more...

Many 5G policy visions are described as piecemeal, uncoordinated and lacking in actionable measures. 6G policy planning is different. In learning from the past, a number of countries are seeking to develop more integrated and comprehensive strategies, drawing on a diverse range of stakeholders and leveraging cross-border partnerships. Read more...

As the world looks beyond 5G to 6G, standards development activities are spread across a large number of organisations. 6G technology is underpinned by geo-political tensions and there are growing concerns about standards fragmentation, prompting calls for tighter integration and coordination between international, regional and national standards bodies. Read more...

There has been significant uptake of B5G (beyond 5G) and 6G R&D initiatives in many countries, along with a growing pool of regional and cross-border collaborations. Many of these initiatives involve diverse stakeholder participation and long-term funding models focused on building broad 6G ecosystems. Read more...

While mobile operators and equipment manufacturers often pursue energy efficiency as a cost-saving measure, researchers and academics have set out sustainability as a pillar upon which to build their vision of 6G. Read more...

Eutelsat is a French satellite company which operates a fleet of 36 GEO (geostationary orbit) satellites covering Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. In June 2022, the company announced plans for a merger with satellite company OneWeb. Read more...

While Japan’s Rakuten and Dish in the US have launched greenfield Open RAN networks, India’s Jio missed its Q2 2021 launch date for its 5G rollout. In Germany, newcomer 1&1 is planning its greenfield play that will be built and managed by Rakuten. This research note outlines the Open RAN… Read more...

Support for Open RAN continues to grow, although the path forward for the Open RAN ecosystem remains unclear. In a series of research notes, PolicyTracker outlines the development of the Open RAN movement, the benefits claimed for Open RAN and how it is being implemented by both green and brownfield… Read more...

One thing that Open RAN has in common with traditional network deployments is the need for sufficient spectrum. Similarly, delays in the availability of spectrum affect operator plans for both 5G and Open RAN. Policymakers are increasingly supporting the Open RAN movement and many are implementing measures to promote Open… Read more...

Despite its critics, the Open RAN movement continues to take shape in 2022, expanding beyond greenfield operators to a growing number of brownfield operators with plans for the phased integration of Open RAN and vRAN into legacy networks. Among brownfield operators, there is a trend to promote shared Open RAN… Read more...