Nokia leads the next phase of Europe’s 6G project

Nokia announced that it will be the leader of the Hexa-X-II project, the second phase of the main European initiative in this area. This new phase expands the list of project partners to 44 organizations tasked with creating a pre-standardized platform and system overview that will be the basis for many inputs to 6G standardization in the future.

The Hexa-X-II Project has received funding from the European Commission, as part of the first phase of the Smart Network and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS-JU) initiative.

It represents a significant step in bringing together the key industry players in Europe. The goal of both Hexa-X and Hexa-X-II is to establish Europe as a leader in 6G.

Hexa-X-II represents the entire value chain for future connectivity solutions. Its members include infrastructure providers, telecom operators, technology and vertical providers, as well as Europe’s leading communications research institutes.

Peter Vetter, President of Core Research at Nokia Bell Labs, commented that “Nokia is honored to be the leader of this pioneering project. In the 6G era, the digital, physical, and human worlds will become more integrated. Our goals must reflect this level of integration and interdependence. As billions of people and devices go online, urbanization intensifies, and we struggle to manage energy and material constraints, the role of networks and 6G will become more important. It is important that we keep the larger context in mind as we envision the new network.”

Enabled by the results of Hexa-X innovations, the Hexa-X-II consortium will seek to overcome the following societal challenges:

Sustainability: Hexa-X-II will investigate technologies that contribute to a zero carbon footprint and limit the consumption of energy and materials

Inclusion: Hexa-X-II seeks to provide connectivity to both people in developing countries and underprivileged people in developed societies.

Reliability: Hexa-X-II will ensure data transparency, security and privacy, as well as network robustness.

Nokia leads the commercialization of every generation of wireless technology, from the first GSM call, to the best-performing 4G networks, to the world’s fastest 5G networks.

Nokia and Nokia Bell Labs, the world-renowned research arm of Nokia, pioneered the technology innovations that are being used to develop 5G standards.

With information from Nicholas Lucas.