The first 6G technical specifications are scheduled for a major completion stage in December 2028, with commercial services expected around 2030. Businesses buying connectivity today still face several years of expanding 5G networks and uncertain 6G availability.
The European Commission’s account of the 3GPP standards timetable identifies December 2028 as the functional freeze for Release 21. A subsequent technical encoding and interface freeze is scheduled for March 2029.
These stages fix specifications that equipment makers use to build compatible systems. They are not dates when every operator will launch a network or every business can buy a suitable service.
What is 6G?
6G means sixth-generation mobile communications, the planned successor to 5G. The International Telecommunication Union calls its framework IMT-2030.
Its objectives include better capacity, reliability and energy efficiency, alongside closer links between communications and AI. Integrated sensing and communication would use radio signals to transmit data and gather information about surroundings.
The framework describes intended capabilities. Commercial performance will depend on equipment, spectrum, network design and the services operators actually sell. It does not promise that every proposed feature will be available at launch.
5G still has room to expand
Ericsson’s June 2026 Mobility Report recorded 3.1 billion 5G subscriptions in the first quarter, including 162 million additions during those three months. It forecast 6.4 billion by the end of 2031.
Subscriptions count connections, not necessarily individual people. The projection nevertheless indicates continued use well beyond the expected first 6G launches.
Some 390 providers had launched commercial 5G services, but only more than 90 had introduced standalone 5G. Standalone networks use a dedicated 5G core, the central system managing connections and services, instead of depending partly on 4G infrastructure.
They enable more specialized connectivity, including network slicing. A slice is a logically separated service with its own performance requirements running over shared infrastructure.
A factory might need reliable communications for moving equipment, while ordinary smartphone customers use the same operator’s network differently. The ability to sell a slice is still separate from proving that a particular business application earns back its cost.
Buying decisions depend on the job the network must do
For a manufacturer or warehouse operator, the starting point is an operational requirement. Equipment may need to move across a site, transmit sensor readings or maintain dependable connections in places where existing coverage is inadequate.
A purchasing assessment should compare 5G with the available wired and wireless alternatives. Faster headline download speeds alone give little information about reliability inside a building or the cost of connecting its machinery.
Companies also need to establish which devices are compatible, how the system will be maintained and who is responsible when service fails. Long-lived equipment makes supplier support periods and upgrade terms part of the purchase price.
Ericsson expects initial 6G services around 2030, following implementable specifications in late 2028 or early 2029. Coverage will expand at different speeds between countries.
A company can evaluate a current 5G project against measurable operating benefits. For a future 6G project, it will need specifications, compatible equipment, actual coverage and a service contract before it can make the same calculation.
