Can Europe take the lead in 6G rally?

“We saw this in Sweden with the 4G rollout, which was seen as very successful and which is largely the basis for many of our unicorns today,” says Fägersten.

“The 5G rollout, on the other hand, was generally not as fast and coordinated in Europe as one might have wished. And there are many who are still looking for winning business strategies there. So there is a market effect that is wanted when it comes to 6G,” Fägersten says.

Difficult geopolitics to navigate

With the new geopolitical landscape that has emerged since Donald Trump became president, the way forward becomes more difficult to navigate for Europe.

The report outlines three scenarios for how the EU could deal with 6G. The scenarios depend on how much the EU countries cooperate with each other, how much the EU manages to, or wants to, cooperate with the US, and how high the level of conflict will be between the US and China.

In one scenario, the EU would create a united front with the US, agreeing on things like the security of the 6G network and industrial issues where US tech companies would have a role in the technology. This could include building Elon Musk’s satellite system in a more integrated way into future mobile systems, for example.

This scenario could benefit both the US and Europe, as there are countries that prefer to support a European approach rather than Chinese, and it could therefore be good for the US to have a close ally in this area of technology.