Mobile technology organisations in Japan and Finland agreed to collaborate on the development of 6G technologies with the goal of making significant contributions to global standards and regulatory developments.

The Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium and the University of Oulu-led 6G Flagship research programme signed the agreement yesterday (8 June) at the Global Digital Summit 2021 in Tokyo.

Director of 6G Flagship Matti Latva-aho stated the collaboration is significant for Finnish research into the future technology.

The group added the importance of the partnership is underlined by a Japanese government decision earlier this year to invest $2 billion in the development of 6G technologies.

Nikkei Asia reported Nokia will join the research project.

Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium members include the University of Tokyo, NTT Docomo, KDDI, SoftBank Group and Rakuten Mobile.

Growing interest
While 6G technology won’t have formal specifications for a number of years, momentum is growing as major industry players target launches in 2030.

In a recent white paper, the China Academy of Information and Communication Technology’s IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group predicted 6G technology would employ terahertz frequencies alongside existing 5G spectrum, China Daily reported.

Chinese government and industry experts outlined a plan in March to advance 6G between 2021 and 2025.

In February, a 6G research project was announced involving major European operators, while US operators previously committed to the Next G Alliance, a group developing and defining the technology.