Finnish-led 6G programme finds partners in Japan, Singapore

Representatives of the research, development and innovation programme announced a technology partnership with Singapore at Asia Tech x Singapore in July, saying the goal is to work on mutually beneficial themes and contribute notably to the global standardisation and regulatory development of 6G.

“The development of global breakthrough technologies, like 6G, always requires international collaboration,” noted Matti Latva-aho, director of 6G Flagship.

For Singapore, the collaboration marks the first international partnership under its newly launched, almost 45-million-euro research and development programme on future communications, a part of its effort to build a more resilient digital economy. It is implemented by the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

6G Flagship has also signed a memorandum of understanding on technology co-operation with Beyond 5G Consortium, a Japanese consortium consisting of public and private organisations such as SoftBank, the University of Tokyo and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology. The agreement was announced in connection with Global Digital Summit held in Tokyo in June by Nikkei and the Japanese Ministry of the Interior and Communications.

“It is in Finland’s interest to expand the co-operation to themes where mutual competitive advantage can be achieved for 6G development,” commented Latva-aho.

6G Flagship is funded by the Academy of Finland and the University of Oulu, a trailblazer in the 6G space.