5G got off to a rocky start in Germany, with many expectations dashed. For the digital and economic hub of Germany, 6G offers new opportunities. Can the mobile standard of the future deliver on these?

To set the record straight: 5G coverage in Germany stands at 92.5 percent of the area and 98.5 percent of households, according to Statista, which is significantly better than the EU average. However, it is still a ways off from the 100 percent coverage promised in 2018 for 2024. And anecdotally, there still seem to be numerous dead zones.

The high expectations for the mobile standard have thus far been disappointed in Germany. Indeed, the launch was somewhat bumpy, in part due to the expensive licensing process. The Federal Network Agency also failed to mandate national roaming for the five bidders, or the construction of a shared 5G infrastructure, which the new mobile standard requires due to the necessary higher density of antennas. Despite political pressure and promises not to forget rural areas, operators initially focused on expanding coverage in profitable urban centers.

6G must offer more economically

5G is not yet fully established, and already a new hope for Germany’s digital hub is on the horizon: 6G. The new mobile standard is currently still in the testing phase in the lab, yet some experts are banking on 6G to advance Germany digitally and secure its position as a leader in innovation within the global telecommunications market.

Internationally, the development of 6G is in full swing. The standard promises not only greater speed and efficiency but also the exploration of new application fields as demanded by industry. “For the German market, 6G could offer a decisive competitive advantage – if politics, economy, and technology together set the right course early on,” states an article on IT-Business.

Applications such as immersive communication solutions (via AR or VR) are driving 6G research and development around the globe. By 2029, regulatory authorities are expected to allocate the necessary frequencies.

Maximizing Frequencies for New Services

The goal of development is to unlock frequency ranges such as centimeter waves and sub-terahertz (THz) for 6G. International bodies like 3GPP and ITU-R are already working on standardization. If the rollout proceeds more smoothly than the 5G frequency allocation, Germany could have a chance to become a pioneer in this development. To avoid falling into the same cost trap as with 5G, network operators must ensure early on that investments and expected revenues are balanced, as further explained in the IT-Business article.

Due to the slim margins in the B2C sector, it will also be crucial to tap into new revenue streams, such as profitable areas like logistics, industry, and telemedicine. This requires flexible, software-controlled, and automated solutions that can specifically address vertical markets. Another challenge will be to meet environmental and sustainability goals, as well as the associated ESG criteria, in terms of energy consumption.

6G, in conjunction with Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), is also set to promise more extensive mobile coverage and help eliminate the many existing dead zones, which is a prerequisite for fully autonomous driving in Germany. Another significant advantage is that 6G, with its integrated sensing and communication (Integrated Sensing and Communications, or ISAC), can also penetrate indoor spaces where today’s GPS-based systems often reach their limits.

Source of title image: Adobe Stock/ MAY