As per the wireless media, Nokia is taking on the role of overall project leader for a new initiative that will explore the possibilities of the sixth generation of mobile communications technology.  The Finnish vendor said it will help steer Hexa-X, which is described as the European Commission's "flagship" research initiative for 6G.

Project goals include creating "unique 6G use cases and scenarios," developing fundamental 6G technologies, and "defining a new architecture for an intelligent fabric that integrates key 6G technology enablers."

Hexa-X has been awarded funding under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and is set to start on January 1, 2021 with a planned duration of two years and six months. Other partners include Nokia rival Ericsson, Aalto University, Atos, the b<>com Technology Research Institute, Swedish university Chalmers, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Hungarian research institute Sztaki, Intel, Nextworks, Orange, Politecnico di Torino, Qamcom research and technology, Siemens, German research universities TU Dresden and TU Kaiserslautern, TIM, and Telefonica.

Nokia said it expects 6G systems to launch commercially by 2030, "following the typical 10-year cycle between generations."  "In the 6G era we will see applications that will not only connect humans with machines but also connect humans with the digital world."