Category: NGMN News

6G Key Messages_An Operator View_news

NGMN calls for harmonised 6G standards to drive seamless mobile evolution on behalf of global MNOs

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Düsseldorf, Germany, 11 June 2025 – As the telecommunication standards body 3GPP prepares for setting the scope for Release 20, the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN) has released a publication advocating the critical need for harmonised global standards for 6G.

“6G Key Messages – An Operator View” says that standards should build upon the features and capabilities introduced with 5G and create value through new services which are essential to support continuous innovation, delivering real benefits to users and operators while addressing evolving societal needs and fostering a sustainable ecosystem.

The publication consolidates key messages from previous NGMN deliverables around 6G and puts them into an operator perspective, reiterating the renowned NGMN’s 6G Position Statement published in 2023. Industry leaders stress that the transition to 6G should be evolutionary and that the evolution should not force a complete hardware refresh. While new radio equipment is required for deployment in new frequency bands, the evolution toward 6G in existing bands should primarily occur through software upgrades, ensuring a smooth transition.

6G must demonstrate clear, tangible benefits within a realistic techno-economic framework. Network Architecture needs to meet MNOs criteria for modularity, simplicity, openness, operational simplification, compatibility and interoperability, and trustworthiness while delivering economic and social sustainability. These factors are crucial to enable fast deployment and to support the development of market-aligned services that meet user demands.

Laurent Leboucher, Chairman of the NGMN Alliance Board and Orange Group CTO and EVP Networks, explained “6G should be viewed as a seamless evolution — fully compatible with 5G and propelled by continuous software innovation. The industry must move beyond synchronised hardware/software ‘G’ cycles and embrace decoupled roadmaps: one for hardware infrastructure, guided by value-driven and sustainable investments, and another — faster and demand-led — for software-defined business capabilities addressing real needs from society.”

“Along with presenting this consolidated view to 3GPP, this publication serves as a foundation for engaging with the broader industry, driving collaboration, innovation, and strategic direction in the evolving 6G landscape,” said Anita Döhler, CEO of NGMN . “A core tenet of our message is that 6G is not treated as another generational shift for mobile technology – it must be evolutionary.”

“Network evolution is essential for addressing ever-changing societal needs. To achieve this, we need to work collectively as an industry to ensure all future networks are secure, environmentally sound, and economically sustainable,” said Luke Ibbetson, Head of Group R&D at Vodafone and NGMN Board Director.

This publication further outlines the operator view on network requirement and design considerations on the Radio Performance Assessment Framework (RPAF), including guidance for new 6G Radio Access Technology (RAT). It emphasises that any proposed solutions must be assessed against a reasonable baseline to demonstrate meaningful performance gains.

The publication can be downloaded from here.

 

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NGMN publishes new reporting guidance to accelerate carbon emissions reductions in mobile industry

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Düsseldorf, Germany, 21 May 2025 – The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN) today released new guidance to support more effective carbon emissions reduction in the mobile industry through improved reporting practices and stronger collaboration. 

The publication, “Green Future Networks: Environmental Sustainability and Reporting”, offers practical recommendations for addressing Scope 3 emissions – those generated across the broader value chain – which represent approximately 90% of total emissions for mobile network operators (MNOs)1

NGMN advocates for a shift toward using primary (unit-based) emissions factors rather than traditional financial (price-based) ones to enhance reporting accuracy. The guidance also emphasises the need for greater collaboration and industry-wide alignment of calculation methods. 

“Tackling Scope 3 emissions is one of the greatest challenges for our industry — and it can only be done through stronger collaboration across the value chain,” said Laurent Leboucher, Chairman of the NGMN Alliance Board and Orange Group CTO and EVP Networks. “This new guidance marks an important step toward more accurate, transparent reporting and provides a clear path for the industry to prioritise meaningful carbon reduction.” 

The publication assesses the current state of sustainability reporting across MNO value chains and outlines challenges faced by both operators and infrastructure suppliers in addressing Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions — those originating from the value chain rather than sources directly controlled by the companies. It highlights key issues such as data availability, accuracy, and inconsistent estimation approaches, all of which impact emissions reporting. 

The guidance calls for emissions reporting based on unit-based emission factors – calculated by multiplying a specific factor per unit of product or category by the number of units used – which provide greater accuracy than spend-based methods. This shift will require closer collaboration among value chain partners to improve data sharing and align calculation methods. 

“Reducing emissions across the value chain requires close collaboration with our supply chain partners to identify the main sources of emissions,” said Saima Ansari, GFN Project Lead and CR Segment Lead, Technology & Innovation at Deutsche Telekom. “By working together to ensure we all have access to accurate data on emissions factors and energy mix, we can better assess our carbon footprints and take targeted action to meet our reduction goals.” 

The publication also reviews key standards and regulatory frameworks, explores their interrelationships, and recommends that stakeholders stay aligned with and actively contribute to the evolving regulatory landscape. 

“Since 2021, our Green Future Networks programme has brought together operators, vendors and academia from around the world to collaborate, share insights and co-develop strategic guidance on one of the most critical issues facing our industry,” said Anita Doehler, CEO of the NGMN Alliance. “We are proud of our members’ continued commitment to advancing sustainability.”  

The publication can be downloaded from here.

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1 Averaged value based on data from leading international operators and their suppliers, as reported in their ESG reports in 2023.

 

NGMN FORUM

Paris, France // by

06 – 07 May 2025 – Paris, France

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NGMN PRESS & INDUSTRY BRIEFING 2025 @ MWC

Barcelona, Spain // by

 

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The annual NGMN Press & Industry Briefing took place on Wednesday, 05 March at the Vodafone Amphitheatre during MWC Barcelona. The event featured insights from our new Chairman, CEO and global NGMN Alliance Board Members, who reflected on the past year’s achievements and outlined the strategy and key priorities for 2025.

Access the full recording and further information here.

Press & Industry Briefing Presentation 2025

 

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NGMN outlines principles for the continuous evolution towards 6G and beyond 

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Consensus, time and a focus on continuous improvement will be key elements for guiding the evolution of mobile networks towards 6G and beyond, building on the solid foundation of 5G. The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN) revealed this today while publishing a proposed framework to guide the evolution of network architecture towards 6G. 

 

The “Network Architecture Evolution towards 6G” publication builds on NGMN’s “6G Position Statement – An Operator View”, published in 2023. It advises that the future 6G network architecture should address 5G gaps, support new scenarios and requirements, adapt to RAN changes, and embrace emerging technology trends. NGMN emphasises the importance of allocating sufficient time in the standardisation process to ensure industry-wide collaboration, enabling a smooth and continuous evolution of mobile networks towards 6G and beyond.  

 

“NGMN envisions the future network architecture as a service-based platform that evolves to efficiently meet the growing demands of users, applications and industries, while leveraging the ongoing advancements of 5G,” said Arash Ashouriha, Chairman of the NGMN Alliance Board and SVP Group Technology at Deutsche Telekom. “To ensure the next generation of mobile networks unleashes its full potential, it is important that clear architectural design and implementation principles are set at an early stage, promoting cooperation, minimising unnecessary complexity, and ensuring alignment with long-term objectives,” continued NGMN’s Chairman. 

 

The 6G network architecture design principles aim to address the limitations of 5G while ensuring support for new scenarios and requirements. MNOs participating in the study highlighted network complexity, challenges in integrating with legacy systems, and energy efficiency as key concerns with existing 5G networks that should not be repeated in 6G development. Autonomous network management and AI-native design were identified as key drivers for architectural change. 

 

Among the 13 principles established by NGMN, the evolving network architecture should enable innovation, support on-demand deployment of new features, and ensure backward compatibility with existing core connectivity services, reflecting a philosophy of continuous improvement and incorporate ‘quantum-safe’ infrastructure to enhance security, privacy, and resilience.  

 

MNOs involved in the development of these principles also suggested that a new 6G air interface should provide tangible improvements over 5G-Advanced in key areas, including increased spectrum efficiency, ISAC, and dense low-cost device connectivity. 

 

Following the publication of this framework, NGMN will lead further initiatives and publish recommendations and requirements on key areas of network architecture evolution. These include developing migration strategies, ensuring seamless coexistence with existing 5G networks, and exploring new capabilities that 6G must support. These efforts will guide the continuous evolution of network architecture towards a scalable, innovative, efficient, and sustainable framework, ensuring a seamless transition that empowers a truly connected and intelligent society. 

 

“The future of mobile networks lies in their ability to evolve continuously, much like software, to meet the changing needs of users and industries. By focusing more on gradual improvements and leveraging the strengths of 5G and beyond, we can ensure a sustainable flow of innovative features, keeping our customers delighted,” emphasised Laurent Leboucher, Member of the NGMN Alliance Board and Group CTO and Executive VP Networks at Orange. 

 

The publication can be downloaded from here.

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NGMN unveils operating models to accelerate adoption of disaggregated networks   

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The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN) has today released four concise publications detailing essential operating models for disaggregated networks.  

These models aim to provide clear guidance to industry stakeholders and foster the adoption of disaggregated network architectures, which will provide mobile network operators (MNOs) with greater flexibility when managing and deploying of network infrastructure. The outlined operating models include:  

  • Single Vendor Led 
  • Systems Integrator (SI) Led 
  • Operator Platform 
  • Operator Platform commercially offered to others. 

“Disaggregation – the process of modularising, softwarising and running network functions on cloud native infrastructure – is revolutionising the telecommunications industry, said Arash Ashouriha, Chairman of the NGMN Alliance Board and SVP Group Technology at Deutsche Telekom. “This transition fundamentally changes how operators work internally and collaborate with the broader supplier ecosystem. With these publications, NGMN is taking the lead by offering practical, actionable guidance on the key operating models available today and helping operators navigate this shift effectively,” he added. 

“Software-based, cloud native network architectures are set to dominate the industry, empowering operators with greater flexibility and agility to manage networks, innovate new services, and address evolving customer needs,” said Bernard Bureau, Member of the NGMN Alliance Board and VP of Network and Architecture Strategy, at Chief Technology Office at TELUS. “At TELUS, we are proud to have worked with NGMN to provide deeper insights into the available options and the organisational transformations needed to fully realise the potential of disaggregated networking,” he added. 

The publications build on NGMN’s Cloud Native Manifesto (September 2023), which outlined seven key principles for accelerating the transition to cloud native networking. While the Alliance is prohibited under competition law from endorsing or recommending any specific operating model, these publications offer decision-makers a comprehensive understanding of the organisational changes required to implement each scenario. They also provide a balanced assessment of the advantages and challenges associated with each approach. The goal is to highlight the wide range of options available to the industry and the long-term considerations for adopting each model effectively. 

The publications, along with a brief overview document, are available for download here.

The publication was developed with input from across the industry, with NGMN’s membership comprising operators, vendors, and research institutions. This collaboration enables NGMN to offer strong guidance on key industry issues, driving progress on today’s most important topics, including NGMN’s Strategic Focus Topics: Mastering the Route to Disaggregation, Green Future Networks, and 6G. NGMN encourages all stakeholders across the value chain to join the Alliance in this endeavour.