6G: According to Qualcomm CEO, the first pre-commercial devices not before 2028

Qualcomm boss Cristiano Amon used the keynote on the Snapdragon Summit on Maui, Hawaii to provide an insight into the current state of 6G development. The first 6G products are in the works before they reach end customers. Amon also explained what the next mobile phone standard could be used for.

Interconnectivity

According to Amon, Qualcomm’s plans provide that from 2028 6g-compatible “pre-commercial devices” can be expected. As the name suggests, these products have not yet been intended for commercial use in market tires.

According to Amon, 6G is to fundamentally change the way in which devices are networked. The Qualcomm CEO said that 6G was “designed as a connection between the cloud and the EDGE devices”. According to the company’s vision, personal AI agents would take on a significant part of the tasks and send emails, make reservations and do administrative tasks. According to Amon, smartphones, laptops, cars, smart glasses, headphones and other devices have a direct communication connection to these AI agents-enables 6G connectivity.

6G standard not finished before 2030

Even if Amon speaks of first 6G products for 2028, the finalization of the upcoming mobile phone standard will not take place before 2030. Qualcomm is also aware of this. Because the group plays an important role in the process of mobile radio standardization, which takes place within the 3GPP (3rd generation Partnership Project). This is a worldwide cooperation between standardization bodies for standardization in mobile communications.

3Gpp has with the beginning of this year Release 20 laid the foundation stone for the future 6G standard, which should be functional in early 2027. Release 21, meanwhile, should contain the first 6G standards, but there is currently no public schedule for it. 6G should inspire data rates of up to 200 GBIT/s applications in the field of artificial intelligence, digital healthcare and the Internet of things and enable sustainable connectivity.

In addition to Qualcomm, many other companies are involved in the development of the 6G standard: chip developers such as Mediatek or Broadcom are also on board, as are tech companies such as Apple and Samsung as well as telecommunications companies and network suppliers.