Espoo, Finland – Nokia has announced it will lead the second phase of the European 6G flagship initiative, Hexa-X-II. In this phase, 44 organisations will join the Hexa-X partnership to create the pre-standardised platform and system view which will serve as a basis for many inputs into future 6G standardisation.

During the first call of the Smart Network and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS-JU), the European Commission awarded funding to Hexa-X-II. The goal of both Hexa-X and Hexa-X-II is to establish Europe as a leader in 6G. This is the next significant step toward bringing together key industry stakeholders in Europe.

With its members ranging from network vendors and service providers to verticals and technology providers as well as the most prominent European research institutes involved in communications, Hexa-X-II represents the full value chain for future connectivity solutions.

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

• Sustainability: Hexa-X-II will research technologies that contribute to a zero-carbon footprint and limit energy and material consumption.
• Inclusion: Hexa-X-II aims to provide connectivity to people in developing countries as well as to the underprivileged members of developed societies.
• Trustworthiness: Hexa-X-II will ensure data transparency, security and privacy, and network robustness.

Ericsson will take the role of technical manager for Hexa-X-II. Many work packages will be coordinated by Orange, TIM SpA, TU Dresden, University of Oulu, IMEC and Atos, including radio evolution and innovation, future devices and flexible infrastructure, smart network management and values, and requirements and ecosystems.

From the first GSM call to the best-performing 4G networks and the fastest 5G connections, Nokia has been at the forefront of commercialising every generation of wireless technology. Nokia and Nokia Bell Labs, the world-renowned industrial research arm of Nokia, pioneered many of the fundamental technology innovations that are being used to develop 5G standards. In addition, Nokia is already laying the foundations for 5G-Advanced in 3GPP Releases 18 and 19, which will further enhance 5G capabilities and enable new verticals. As part of these new capabilities, 5G-RAN includes features such as XR, super-accurate positioning, improved coverage, and AI/ML. Many of these technological developments will bridge the gap between 5G and 6G.

In addition to Hexa-X-II and Hexa-X, Nokia also leads 6G-ANNA, the German 6G lighthouse project and plays an instrumental role in establishing the Horizon Europe Smart Network and Services joint undertaking.

The Hexa-X-II project aims to be completed within two and a half years, with work set to start on 1 January 2023.