No single company, government, or standards body writes all of 6G. The International Telecommunication Union’s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) coordinates the international IMT-2030 framework and the process for evaluating candidate radio technologies. 3GPP develops detailed mobile-system specifications in parallel, with its Release 21 schedule including the first normative 6G specifications.
These are connected but distinct tracks. As of 10 October 2026, IMT-2030 had a framework and draft requirements and evaluation guidance, but the candidate submission period had not opened and the relevant 2026 draft reports were still awaiting approval. A framework, a draft, a specification freeze, and a finished commercial network are different milestones.
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Who sets 6G standards?
The global process has two main institutional tracks. ITU-R coordinates the international process for the next generation of International Mobile Telecommunications, which it calls IMT-2030. 3GPP develops detailed mobile-system specifications through releases. The work can inform and complement the ITU process, but the organizations do not perform identical jobs, and neither should be described as the sole author of every part of 6G.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →| Organization or group | Role in the process | What its milestone means |
|---|---|---|
| ITU-R | Coordinates the IMT-2030 framework and the international process for requirements, candidate radio-interface submissions, evaluation, and recognition. | An ITU-R milestone belongs to the international IMT framework and candidate evaluation track. |
| ITU-R Working Party 5D | Develops IMT requirements and evaluation materials and coordinates the candidate process. | Its completed drafts are not automatically approved ITU reports; they proceed to Study Group 5 for consideration. |
| ITU-R Study Group 5 | Parent group that considers WP 5D’s draft reports. | Approval by Study Group 5 is a separate step from completion of a draft by WP 5D. |
| 3GPP | Produces detailed mobile-system specifications in releases. Release 21 combines continuing 5G Advanced work with the first normative 6G specifications. | A 3GPP freeze marks a stage in developing 3GPP specifications; it is not an ITU approval milestone. |
| Companies and industry associations | Contribute technical work and are among the groups ITU describes as potential sources of candidate radio-interface proposals. | Contributing a proposal does not give any one contributor control over the international outcome. |
The distinction matters because “setting 6G” is not one vote or one publication. ITU-R’s process gives a common international framework for assessing candidate radio interfaces. 3GPP’s work turns mobile-system design into detailed specifications that can be implemented by the ecosystem. The ITU’s 2023 description of its approach emphasizes the involvement of multiple stakeholders; it does not identify any single vendor as controlling the result.
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What IMT-2030 means—and what it does not
IMT-2030 is ITU’s technical reference and framework for the next generation of International Mobile Telecommunications, commonly called 6G. Recommendation ITU-R M.2160 sets out the framework and overall objectives. It was approved by the Radiocommunication Assembly in 2023, establishing direction for the work rather than a finished, deployable specification.
That distinction is important in practice. A framework gives participants a shared destination: it describes the kinds of use cases, capabilities, and broad objectives the next generation is intended to address. Requirements make some aspects more measurable, while evaluation guidance explains how proposals are to be assessed. Candidate technologies must then be submitted and evaluated. Detailed system specifications are another part of the overall standards process. None of these stages, by itself, proves that a complete commercial network or consumer device is ready.
The ITU’s 2023 account says the IMT-2030 Framework Recommendation identifies 15 capabilities, nine of them derived from existing 5G systems. This is a standards-planning description of capabilities, not a claim that every 6G product will contain all 15 or that networks will deliver a particular measured result. The continuity with 5G also signals that 6G is being developed from existing mobile-system foundations rather than as an entirely unrelated technology.
The six scenarios in the framework
ITU’s 2023 release names six expected usage scenarios. They describe the kinds of communications and functions the framework is intended to encompass; they are not promises that every network will offer every scenario at launch.
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- Immersive communication: communication experiences that place greater demands on how digital content is delivered and experienced.
- Hyper-reliable and low-latency communication: use cases where dependable communications and timely delivery are central requirements.
- Enhanced ubiquitous connectivity: extending connectivity across a wider range of locations and circumstances.
- Massive communication: supporting communication involving large numbers of connected devices or endpoints.
- Artificial intelligence and communications: bringing AI-related capabilities into the communications landscape.
- Integrated multi-dimensional sensing: combining communications with sensing functions across more than one dimension.
The scenario names are useful for understanding the intended scope, but they should not be read as consumer service guarantees. A scenario is a planning category; actual performance and availability depend on requirements, specifications, implementation, spectrum, networks, and deployment.
How the standards process moves from framework to candidate technologies
The process is staged so that proposals can be compared against common expectations rather than accepted simply because a technology has been branded “6G.” The following sequence separates the international IMT-2030 work from parallel detailed specification work.
1. Set the vision and framework
ITU-R developed the IMT-2030 framework, published as Recommendation M.2160. The framework establishes objectives, scenarios, and capabilities that guide subsequent work. Its 2023 approval by the Radiocommunication Assembly was an early foundation, not the final approval of all radio technologies or system specifications.
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Working Party 5D develops the minimum technical performance requirements and common guidance for evaluating candidate technologies. In February 2026, WP 5D completed a draft report containing 20 minimum technical performance requirements. It also completed draft evaluation guidelines in June 2026. These are separate documents with different functions: requirements describe the minimum technical performance candidates are expected to meet, while evaluation guidance sets out how candidates are assessed.
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As of 10 October 2026, both drafts still awaited Study Group 5 approval. ITU’s status information said the requirements report and the evaluation guidelines had been submitted for consideration at the group’s December 2026 meeting. Therefore, as of that October status date, it would be inaccurate to call either draft an already approved report. The 20 requirements are technical criteria in standards development, not a list of promised consumer speeds, latency figures, or coverage levels.
3. Invite candidate radio-interface proposals
The ITU-R invitation sets the terrestrial candidate submission window for February 2027 through February 2029. Companies and industry associations are among the proposal sources described by ITU. The proposal stage is not the same as a product launch: it is the point at which candidate radio-interface technologies are put forward for assessment against the developing IMT-2030 requirements and evaluation process.
4. Evaluate candidates against common criteria
Candidate technologies are assessed against the agreed minimum requirements and evaluation criteria. The process involves independent evaluation groups, helping provide a common basis for comparison. The central idea is that a proposal must be examined against shared expectations, rather than being accepted on the strength of a sponsor’s claims alone. The available ITU materials establish this evaluation model; they do not establish the outcome of future submissions.
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5. Develop detailed specifications and complete approvals
In parallel, 3GPP advances detailed mobile-system specifications through its release process. Those specifications provide a different level of detail from ITU’s high-level IMT framework and candidate radio-interface evaluation. Work on detailed specifications and ITU evaluation are related activities, but their approval steps and dates should be tracked separately.
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What the published milestones mean
Several dates associated with 6G refer to different types of work. The table separates the known milestone and its meaning, based on the status available as of October 2026.
| Date or period | Track | Milestone and interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | ITU-R IMT-2030 | Recommendation M.2160’s framework was approved by the Radiocommunication Assembly. This established objectives and direction, not a complete set of deployable specifications. |
| February 2026 | ITU-R WP 5D | WP 5D completed a draft report with 20 minimum technical performance requirements. Study Group 5 approval was still pending as of 10 October 2026. |
| June 2026 | ITU-R WP 5D | WP 5D completed draft evaluation guidelines. Study Group 5 approval was still pending as of 10 October 2026. |
| December 2026 | ITU-R Study Group 5 | Meeting at which the two 2026 drafts were reported as submitted for approval. As of 10 October 2026, this was a future meeting, not a completed approval. |
| February 2027–February 2029 | ITU-R IMT-2030 | Scheduled window for submitting candidate terrestrial radio-interface technologies. It is a proposal period, not a promised commercial availability window. |
| March 2027 | 3GPP Release 21 | Package approval and Stage-1 freeze in the timeline reported by the European Commission’s 5G Observatory. This is a 3GPP specification milestone. |
| June 2028 | 3GPP Release 21 | Stage-2 freeze in the approved Release 21 timeline. |
| December 2028 | 3GPP Release 21 | Stage-3 functional freeze in the approved Release 21 timeline. |
| March 2029 | 3GPP Release 21 | ASN.1/OpenAPI freeze in the approved Release 21 timeline. |
| By 2030, as a prospect | ITU-R IMT-2030 | ITU’s 2023 release described final IMT-2030 technology standards approval by 2030 as a prospect. It is a planned horizon, not a guarantee that every standard or commercial deployment will be complete by then. |
The Release 21 dates above come from the European Commission’s 5G Observatory report dated 10 June 2026 and updated 1 October 2026. Stage-1, Stage-2, Stage-3, and ASN.1/OpenAPI freezes are 3GPP milestones; they should not be substituted for ITU-R’s candidate evaluation or approval dates. A freeze marks a stage in the development of 3GPP specifications, not necessarily the availability of finished networks or devices.
Why 3GPP and ITU dates are not interchangeable
Readers often see a Release 21 freeze and an ITU target in the same discussion and assume they refer to one shared finish line. They do not. ITU-R’s IMT-2030 process establishes the international framework, requirements, and candidate radio-interface evaluation route. 3GPP Release 21 is a detailed specification track that also continues 5G Advanced work while introducing initial normative 6G specifications.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute“Normative” means the specifications contain requirements that implementations are expected to follow; it does not mean every element of a global 6G system is complete, approved by ITU, deployed, or commercially available. Likewise, an ITU approval milestone concerns the IMT-2030 process and should not be described as a 3GPP release freeze. Each date needs its institution and milestone type attached to it.
The distinction also explains why work can proceed in parallel. The IMT framework and candidate process provide international coordination and evaluation. Detailed specifications develop the system-level rules that manufacturers and network participants can implement. Those tracks interact, but their output, process, and governing bodies are not identical.
What this means for readers following 6G
When a company announces a 6G proposal, capability, or timeline, identify what kind of statement it is. A framework scenario is not an implemented feature; a candidate proposal is not an accepted radio interface; a draft requirement is not an approved one; a specification freeze is not a commercial launch. The labels matter because they describe different points in a long standards chain.
- For the international framework and candidate process, look for ITU-R and IMT-2030 terminology.
- For detailed mobile-system release work, look for the 3GPP release and its specific freeze milestone.
- Check whether an ITU document is a WP 5D draft or has been approved by Study Group 5.
- Treat capability lists and minimum performance requirements as standards-development criteria, not measured performance guarantees.
- Read dates as planned process milestones unless the source explicitly confirms an event has occurred.
ITU’s 2023 outlook put final IMT-2030 technology standards approval by 2030 forward as a prospect. That horizon does not guarantee that all standards, network rollouts, or commercially available devices will be complete at that time. Nor does following the standards process require buying equipment branded “6G”; the material describes a future standards-development program, not a current consumer upgrade requirement.
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