As Europe works to advance its digital infrastructure, the 6G Flagship – the world’s first 6G research programme – is committed to achieving a 6G-enabled digital world by the 2030s.
Connectivity and advancing communication are high priorities for Europe, to ensure that its digital infrastructure can keep pace with the ever-increasing amounts of data generated by today’s digital world.
At present, the European Commission is focused on achieving key goals including Gigabit network coverage for all European households and uninterrupted 5G coverage for all, as outlined in the Gigabit Society vision and the Digital Decade plan. However, it is also working to go beyond this, helping to prepare Europe for 6G.
As the successor of 5G, 6G holds the potential for a new era of technology, bringing together fields such as connectivity, robotics, cloud, and secure and trustworthy commerce. It will allow us to develop more challenging applications, such as virtual and augmented reality; hologram devices; remote surgery; digital twins of real-world objects; extended reality sensing (the Internet of Senses); and autonomous vehicles.
In November 2021, the European Commission established the European Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) to support the development of 6G. The SNS JU enables the pooling of EU and industrial resources in Smart Networks and Services. It also fosters alignment with Member States for 6G Research and Innovation, and the deployment of advanced 5G networks.
In 2018, The University of Oulu in Finland launched the world’s first 6G research programme – the 6G Flagship. Supported by the Research Council of Finland, and complemented by numerous SNS JU projects, the 6G Flagship’s mission is to envision and define the 6G-enabled digital world as we move towards the 2030s.
To learn more about the 6G Flagship and how it is helping to prepare Europe for 6G, The Innovation Platform spoke to Professor Ari Pouttu, Director of the 6G Flagship.
Can you explain more about the 6G Flagship and its main goals?
The 6G Flagship is the world’s first major 6G research programme. It aims to create the technological foundations for wireless systems that will support a sustainable, data-driven society in the 2030s.
Its work includes developing technology enablers, building a large-scale 6G Test Network and operating the 6G Test Centre, already approved within NATO’s DIANA framework. It also focuses on five vertical application areas: Health, Industry, Vehicular, Energy, and Security & Defence. Alongside this, it provides vision leadership through international collaboration and white papers that help shape standards and policy. There are now 14 published White Papers, with the 15th, on resilience, due to be published in November at a 6G Resilience Summit. You can register for the summit here.
Both the Research Council of Finland and the University of Oulu fund the eight-year project equally. In addition, there is a lot of outside funding.
What are the main challenges facing network advancement in Europe and across the globe?
The key challenges for network development include securing high-capacity spectrum, managing the energy demands of hardware, particularly at higher frequencies, and ensuring that security and trust keep pace with evolving AI-driven networks. There are societal issues around equitable access and environmental sustainability, and political risks from fragmented standards and geopolitical rivalries.
How does the 6G Flagship work to address these challenges?
We approach the challenges from several angles. Fundamental research forms the base, but we also invest heavily in experimental platforms such as our test network and Test Centre. These environments allow us to validate ideas with industry partners in conditions that reflect real deployments. At the European level, through the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking, our projects address sustainability, resilience and inclusivity. Hexa-X-II is a good example, as it builds a coherent system vision that connects individual technical advances into a wider 6G framework.
Ensuring that network infrastructure remains resilient is of the utmost importance. How can organisations and governing bodies help to ensure the resiliency of networks moving forward?
Resilience is not achieved by technology alone. It requires strategic spectrum management by authorities, space for large-scale testing, and regulatory support for spectrum sharing—particularly for private networks that complement the services of wireless providers. Open standards help reduce dependencies and increase adaptability, while investment must focus on secure, energy-efficient and privacy-preserving design. Most importantly, resilience depends on collaboration: governments, researchers and industry must co-create networks that continue to function under stress.
Are things on track to meet your vision of a data-driven, sustainable future society enabled by near-instant and unlimited wireless connectivity by the 2030s?
The current trajectory is promising, though not without risks. Scientific breakthroughs, sustained EU and national funding, and global collaboration suggest progress toward 6G in the 2030s. The vision of a data-driven, sustainable society with near-instant connectivity remains technically sound. However, it depends on co-ordinated action across spectrum policy, sustainability goals, and security frameworks. Commercial deployment still lies later in the decade, and the coming years will be decisive.
Please note, this article will also appear in the 23rd edition of our quarterly publication.
