What businesses need to fix now to avoid expensive 6G lock-ins | Computer Weekly

"“6G is not simply about streaming richer AR experiences. It is about transforming every sensor, robot and AI [artificial intelligence] system into an active node in a unified, adaptive digital nervous system,” says Khaled Elbehiery, professor at the Open Institute of Technology."

"Rather than treating AI-driven networks, edge computing, sensing and communications as add-on features, as with 5G, 6G is expected to fundamentally integrate them into core architecture. For enterprises, this could considerably change the role of connectivity, as data transmission signals will also be used for environment monitoring, motion detection and automation support, especially in smart traffic management, industrial robotics and emergency services."

"Official standards are expected to be fully determined by around 2029, under the 3GPP Release 21, according to the European Parliament. This has raised a number of important questions for organisations. Are enterprises jumping the gun on 6G preparation when key challenges around 5G performance and infrastructure remain unsolved? And could early investment result in expensive architectural lock-ins down the line, once standards are fully finalised?"

"6G will also introduce higher levels of network automation, with self-optimising networks handling rea"

5G has improved manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics through higher speed, lower latency, and the ability to connect many devices, but rollouts remain incomplete in many regions due to unresolved performance and infrastructure issues. Enterprises are beginning to prepare for 6G even though it is still in applied research and development. Official standards are expected to be fully determined around 2029 under 3GPP Release 21, raising concerns about whether early preparation is premature and whether investment could create costly architectural lock-ins. 6G is framed as a system-level shift rather than a mobile upgrade, transforming sensors, robots, and AI systems into active nodes within a unified adaptive digital nervous system. Connectivity is expected to support environment monitoring, motion detection, and automation, alongside higher network automation through self-optimising networks.

Read at ComputerWeekly.com