Taiwan is advancing its position in the global 6G arena, focusing on international collaborations and domestic advancements to stay ahead in next-generation mobile networks. At the 2026 European Conference on Networks and Communications, Taiwan showcased its 6G capabilities. Notably, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) led a delegation to forge stronger ties with European partners.
During the summit, ITRI signed a memorandum of understanding with the European 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association and the Taiwan 6G Industry Forum. This agreement encourages collaboration on technology development, international trials, and standards alignment. Additionally, ITRI partnered with the Dutch Organisation for Applied Scientific Research to enhance integrated sensing and communications research.
These partnerships support Taiwan’s broader 6G strategy, aligning domestic planning with international ecosystems. The Ministry of Digital Affairs in Taiwan has started crafting a 6G spectrum plan, expecting completion by the year’s end. The plan reviews candidate frequency bands and prepares for potential commercial rollout by 2030. This involves analyzing spectrum bands like the lower 600 MHz range and portions of the 4.7 GHz to 5 GHz spectrum.
Taiwan’s efforts coincide with industry analyses predicting that 6G, like previous generations, will be an evolution rather than a revolution. The approach involves building upon existing mobile network architectures. According to a report by the Dell’Oro Group, 6G will leverage technologies like Massive MIMO and existing macro site grids to enhance radio access network economics.
Stefan Pongratz, vice president of RAN and telecom capex research at Dell’Oro Group, noted, “While the G decoupling movement is gaining momentum for all the right reasons, the most likely scenario is still that 6G will be another G.” He highlighted that 6G will primarily use new wide-band spectrum to improve capacity and RAN economics.
This evolutionary approach projects a substantial capital expenditure on 6G, exceeding $500 billion in the first six years. However, 6G is not expected to dramatically enlarge the overall RAN market due to constrained operator revenue growth. Pongratz’s analysis suggests two scenarios. The optimistic path assumes AI-driven applications will boost mobile data traffic, increasing the demand for network capacity and leading to earlier investment. Conversely, if mobile data demand slows, there could be a delay in network upgrades, reducing the immediate need for 6G investments.
Taiwan’s strategic actions in strengthening 6G capabilities serve as a beacon for other nations eyeing leadership in this emerging field. With continued international cooperation and substantial domestic planning, Taiwan is setting a strong foundation for its future in mobile telecommunications.
