Verizon is sharpening the industry debate around 6G. The carrier says future networks must solve major uplink, spectrum, and standards challenges. These issues could shape commercial deployments expected around 2030.
The message came from Yago Tenorio, Verizon’s chief technology officer. He told RCR Wireless News that the shift from 5G Advanced to 6G needs deep preparation.
“Moving from 5G Advanced trials to a commercially deployed, AI-native 6G network requires solving several fundamental hurdles,” Tenorio said.
First, Verizon sees a major change in mobile traffic behavior. Today, networks mainly serve download-heavy use cases. Video streaming and browsing pull data toward users.
However, AI wearables may reverse part of that model. Smart glasses could send constant video, audio, and sensor data upward. That traffic would move from devices to cloud or edge systems.
“Today’s networks are heavily biased toward downloads. However, ambient AI wearables (like smart glasses) require continuous, always-on contextual feeds of high-definition video, audio, and sensor telemetry up to the cloud or edge. The key technical foundation for 6G is designing a more balanced uplink/downlink radio protocol that can handle continuous uplink data without degrading system performance or burning through device battery and thermal limits,” Tenorio said.
This creates a clear opportunity for richer AI services. Fans, workers, and consumers could receive live contextual assistance. Yet device design remains a difficult barrier.
Wearables have small batteries and limited cooling ability. Continuous streaming can quickly drain power. It can also make compact devices overheat.
Verizon also points to spectrum as a central 6G issue. The company is testing Integrated Sensing and Communication, known as ISAC. This technology lets networks communicate and sense physical environments.
Potential uses include crowd-flow maps in stadiums. Operators could manage gates, queues, and safety risks in real time. ISAC may also help track drones in low-altitude airspace.
Still, those capabilities require much wider spectrum blocks. Tenorio said operators may need around 400 MHz each in mid-band spectrum. That level of availability will require coordinated policy action.
Standards alignment also matters. Verizon wants the industry to avoid fragmented technology paths.
“The industry needs to align strictly behind a single, unified 3GPP standard with native Open RAN specifications from day one. We must avoid the early mistakes of the 5G era, where proprietary deviations introduced unnecessary ecosystem complexity,” he said.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles will become a major test site. Verizon views the 2028 Summer Olympics as a key checkpoint. The event will stress networks with dense crowds and AI-heavy experiences.
“We view the 2028 LA Summer Olympics as the ultimate interim proving ground on the road to commercial 6G deployment in 2030,” Tenorio said.
Verizon plans tests through its 6G Lab in Los Angeles. These trials will involve multi-vendor systems and software-driven vRAN upgrades.
For the wider telecom sector, the message is practical. 6G cannot rely only on faster speeds. It must support new traffic patterns, smarter devices, and shared standards.
