Verizon announces establishment of Verizon 6G Innovation Forum

The nation’s industry-leading network provider is once again shaping the future of wireless technology with the establishment of the Verizon (VZ) 6G Innovation Forum – a group of companies driving innovation and enabling the 6G era. Verizon’s future-forward initiative is uniting key players across the technology ecosystem, including leading network vendors Ericsson (ERIC), Samsung Electronics (SSNLF), and Nokia (NOK); and device and chipset innovators Meta (META), and Qualcomm Technologies (QCOM), in the early stages of development to define 6G together by identifying potential new use cases, devices and network technology. The forum aims to establish an open, diversified, and resilient 6G ecosystem and develop foundational 6G technologies while ensuring global alignment. This effort underscores Verizon’s commitment to drive the collaborative evolution of connectivity and deliver transformative experiences for consumers and enterprises. Verizon’s networks form the backbone of the emerging Artificial Intelligence economy, delivering the infrastructure and expertise essential for businesses to fully harness AI’s potential. For over a decade, Verizon has integrated AI into its operations to optimize network performance and infrastructure, a commitment that will continue with the evolution of 6G. This will accelerate Verizon’s AI Connect strategy and intelligent edge capabilities, enabling businesses to manage real-time AI workloads at scale by leveraging Verizon’s comprehensive suite of solutions with its award-winning network. The forum will move beyond theoretical discussions and rapidly progress toward tangible 6G advancements and the realization of potential new and innovative use cases. Key areas of focus will include: Unlocking the full potential of 6G by testing new spectrum bands and bandwidths. Fostering a globally harmonized 6G landscape by actively working with global standards bodies like 3GPP to ensure that the forum’s work aligns with mainstream 6G development and promotes interoperability across the industry. Allowing forum partners to test and refine 6G technologies in a real-world environment by establishing dedicated Verizon 6G Labs, starting in Los Angeles, to serve as hubs for collaborative research, prototyping, and early lab and field trials.