6G: Waiting for ‘Go’

If 5G was the revolution, 6G will be the revelation. Where the current generation of mobile networks transformed connectivity and made real-time digital interaction the norm, its successor will introduce a level of intelligence and awareness that may seem almost prescient.

However, while anticipation is high, the telecommunications industry is still waiting for standards bodies to push the “Go” button.

Nokia, a brand once synonymous with the rise of the cellphone but now positioned as a global leader in mobile network infrastructure, is preparing for the shift now. Its vision for 6G is encapsulated in a simple but profound phrase: “Networks that sense, think, and act.”

Mikko Lavanti, Nokia SVP of mobile networks market for the Middle East and Africa, was in South Africa last week, fresh from Mobile World Congress (MWC), where 6G was the quiet undercurrent.

The first commercial deployments of 6G, Lavanti told Business Times, would happen towards the end of the decade, coinciding with major global events.

“The United States might want to do something in the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028,” he said. “The Saudis definitely want to do something in the 2030 Expo.”

While much of the world is still rolling out 5G, the regulatory groundwork for 6G is already being laid.

“In 2023, there was the big radio meeting in Dubai where they looked at what are the frequencies that should be allocated globally for 6G. Now the local regulators have been working on that one, and next year it should be locked in.”

What makes 6G different?

If faster speeds and lower latency defined 5G, the next generation will add layers of intelligence. Nokia describes it as the shift from mere connectivity to an era when networks have an almost sensory awareness of their environment.

“In the deployment of 6G, the accuracy of the location and the movement will become much more accurate than what you see in 5G,” said Lavanti. “If you think about GPS today, you can get very accurate location, but you don’t know, for example, the height where you are. You might be lying or you might be standing. With 6G, you also get that depth.”

This enhanced awareness has profound implications. The ability to integrate sensing, AI, and real-time decision-making opens up possibilities across multiple industries.

“Think about the warehouse applications. The movement between the machineries and trucks and lifters and people: you can do sensing and then, with the digital twin of the building, you can manage that remotely.”

In industrial settings, the impact will be dramatic.

“At the Port of Rotterdam, automation is already in full swing. They plan to accept autonomous ships by 2040. That requires extremely low latency and real-time decision-making. 6G will make this not just feasible, but efficient.

“We signed up to build a private wireless network on every ship of Maersk, so all of their boats will have a wireless network inside the ship, to build more efficiencies.

“I recently visited the DP World port in Jebel Ali in the UAE, and saw how they are moving on with container handling in the harbour. I was moving one container myself with an iPad, in two seconds.”

For businesses, the real shift will be in private wireless networks.

“We have close to 900 private wireless networks around the world. The potential is something like 15 million private wireless networks overall. There’s huge potential.”

Despite its promise, 6G will not reach everywhere at once.

“6G and rural coverage is still very far away. Maybe 10 years from here.”

Globally, he says, 6G is already reshaping competitive dynamics.

“We see a growing divide between Western and Chinese network infrastructure. Countries like the US, UK, Australia, and even Jordan have opted against Chinese vendors in 5G. That trend will continue into 6G.”

* Arthur Goldstuck is CEO of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Bluesky on @art2gee.bsky.social.