The Next G Alliance said that this new agreement adds to recent similar 6G agreements with Japan’s Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium and Korea’s 5G Forum
ATIS’ Next G Alliance and Europe’s 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to exchange information regarding their work programs in areas of “mutual interest” in the field of future 6G communication systems and networks.
In a release, the Next G Alliance said that the agreement also covers collaboration on joint activities, including workshops, seminars, webinars and trials on 6G-related topics.
Launched by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), the Next G Alliance is an initiative to advance North American wireless technology leadership over the next decade, through private-sector-led efforts with the initial focus on as-yet-unstandardized 6G systems.
Meanwhile, 6G-IA has a wide range of activities including beyond 5G (B5G) and 6G research, pre-standardization activities, policy and regulatory issues, 5G and 6G frequency concepts, international collaboration, and verticals’ engagement to shape B5G and 6G industrial use cases.
ATIS President and CEO Susan Miller said: “To advance the 6G future, the Next G Alliance has created the North American 6G vision and mapped the steps to achieve it in the National 6G Roadmap. Cooperation between the Next G Alliance and the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association will advance both organizations’ objectives in the development of the global 6G mobile wireless ecosystem.”
“The 6G-IA is driving the development of 6G in Europe with the creation of the Smart Networks and Services partnership together with the European Commission,” said Colin Willcock, chairman of the 6G-IA board. “One of the association’s key goals is to ensure a single global 6G standard and to achieve that, is it vital that we foster cooperation with key organizations around the world.”
Earlier this year, ATIS’ Next G Alliance and Japan’s Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium (B5GPC) signed a MoU to cooperate on future 6G wireless networks.
The agreement stipulates how the two organizations may exchange information and publications related to 6G wireless networks. It also covers how they may engage in collaborative research and development projects including jointly organizing international communication and exchange events and establishing and implementing cooperative joint projects and programs.
In December of 2021, ATIS’ Next G Alliance and the 5G Forum in Korea had signed a MoU to boost cooperation in next-generation mobile communications.
Collaboration between the two organizations may also include: exchange of information regarding 6G technology trends; discussion on developing 6G roadmap; collaboration on global standardization and spectrum; analysis of socioeconomic aspects of 6G, and other areas as agreed between the two organizations regarding 6G promotion.
Last month, the Next G Alliance released a new report with recommendations forecasting the technologies that will be needed to advance the 6G future as well as areas in which further research is required on North American 6G priorities.
The new report defines the specific technologies needed to fulfill the vision in the National 6G Roadmap, also developed by the Next G Alliance.
The report provides an overview of forty-seven key 6G candidates spanning the areas of: Component Technologies; Radio Technologies; System and Network Architecture; Network Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OA&M) and Service Enablement; and Trustworthiness — Security, Reliability, Privacy, and Resilience.
In June, ATIS’ Next G Alliance had also released a report presenting the use cases and applications for the future 6G network.
