As the world continues to get to grips with 5G, industry watchers are already looking at where 6G will drop and a new study by global tech strategists Juniper Research projects that the first 6G connections will arrive in 2029, with the global number of 6G connections reaching 4.1 million that same year.
The report identified the US and South Korea as the countries expected to lead early 6G commercialisation in late 2029, with 6G network launches expanding in 2030.
6G is the sixth generation of wireless cellular technologies; currently undergoing development and standardisation by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and other ecosystem players.
An extract from the new report, 6G Market 2026-2035, is available as a free download.
Which countries will lead 6G deployments?
The report found that, by 2030, nine countries will have launched 6G commercially, with North America and the Far East & China showing the way regionally. The following countries are expected to lead; ranked by number of 6G connections in 2030:
- China
- US
- Canada
- Japan
- UK
- South Korea
- Saudi Arabia
- France
- Qatar
However, whilst these countries will lead the early commercialisation of 6G, others such as Germany, India, and the UAE are also expected to play key roles in its development and commercialisation.
With mobile data traffic growth decelerating and gains in consumer average revenue per user (ARPU) limited relative to traffic growth, 6G investment must go beyond traditional connectivity services. Instead, 6G must also serve as the enabler of key value-added services such as voice AI, which mobile network operators can integrate with their existing services to consumers and enterprises; unlocking new revenue streams.
