Deutsche Telekom Concludes 6G Project, Unveils Network Insights

The 6G-TakeOff project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, successfully presented its results at a closing event at the University of Bremen. The project gained important insights into 3D networks and their key components. These are three-dimensional networks where base stations on the ground are complemented by base stations aboard airborne platforms and satellites. Stations in the air offer the opportunity to provide additional network capacity temporarily and locally as needed. The project focused on the holistic view of a 3D network and the question of how the various network elements can be connected to each other in a unified 6G architecture. By combining and intelligently coordinating the various access technologies, optimal access to connectivity is thus enabled for every application. The results of the project are an important part of basic research for so-called non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and will be incorporated into the standardization of the future generation of mobile communications.

From the very beginning, the consortium was designed to integrate perspectives and innovations from a wide range of research and industry fields. This enabled close collaboration between the aerospace sector and the communications and software industries as well as manufacturers, while facilitating the transfer from the academic environment to the industrial context. Led by Deutsche Telekom (NYSE: DTEGY) (NYSE: DTEGY), the research consortium brought together a total of 19 partners.

The manufacturers participating in the project included Airbus (Euronext: AIR) Defence and Space GmbH, Creonic GmbH, DSI Aerospace GmbH, EANT GmbH, IMST GmbH, NXP (NASDAQ: NXP) Semiconductors, OTARIS Interactive Services GmbH, Rohde & Schwarz, and Boldyn Networks. The user perspective was represented by John Deere (NYSE: DE) GmbH & Co. KG and ZF Friedrichshafen AG. In addition to Deutsche Telekom, the network operator O2 Telefónica (NYSE: TEF) was also involved. The project team was completed by research institutes and universities: the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Fraunhofer Institute FOKUS, the IHP Leibniz Institute for High Performance Microelectronics, the Technical University of Kaiserslautern, the University of Bremen, and the Center for Telematics Würzburg contributed their expertise.

The consortium developed several demonstrators to test the feasibility of different solutions:

After three years, the research project looks back on an impressive record: In addition to the demonstrators, seven patent applications highlight the innovation potential of the consortium.

"The 6G-TakeOff project has helped us better understand the practical challenges of integrating terrestrial and non-terrestrial components into a unified 3D communication framework. It offers valuable insights on how future 6G systems could improve service continuity, resilience and capacity wherever needed. The project has laid a strong foundation for further cross-industry cooperation towards 6G," says Thomas Lips, SVP RAN Disaggregation & Enablement, Deutsche Telekom.

6G stands for the sixth generation of mobile networks, whose research and development is being actively driven worldwide. The organization 3GPP is responsible for the development of the 6G specifications. The commercial rollout of 6G is expected to begin in the early 2030s.