In development · Rel-20 studies → Rel-21 normative work
6G is taking shape through explicit choices about what to reuse from 5G, what to extend and what complexity not to carry forward. The current picture is a study baseline with unresolved branches, not a finished specification.
An adopted study result can guide design without being a normative 6G requirement. Maturity is shown separately from the meeting outcome.
Release 20 establishes requirements and technical direction. Release 21 is expected to carry the normative 6G specifications.
Current baseline
Values are only comparable when their definitions and evaluation scenarios match.
| Parameter | Current value | Definition and maturity | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theoretical peak data rate | 36 / 18 Gbit/s Adopted | Downlink / uplink requirement in the current 6G scenarios report. Approved study requirement | 3GPP 38.914 |
| Connection density | 10⁶ devices/km² Adopted | Massive IoT requirement; this is device density, not a typical number of people. Approved study requirement | 3GPP 38.914 |
| HRLLC latency target | 1 ms Adopted | A service-specific radio target under defined assumptions, not end-to-end latency. Approved study requirement | 3GPP 38.914 |
| Basic waveform | CP-OFDM · CP-OFDM or DFT-s-OFDM Adopted | Downlink · uplink. The basic waveform remains an evolution of 5G NR. Study agreement | RP-261078 |
| 5th-percentile spectral efficiency | 0.675 / 0.45 bit/s/Hz Adopted | Downlink / uplink in the dense-urban evaluation scenario. Approved study requirement | RP-261496 |
| Basic / extended coverage | 143 / 153 dB MaxCL Adopted | Basic mobile broadband / extended massive-IoT coverage framework. Approved study requirement | RP-261496 |
| Horizontal positioning | 0.75 m indoor · 6 m urban macro Adopted | 90th-percentile horizontal error; the internal vertical target is 3 metres. Approved study requirement | RP-261496 |
CP-OFDM remains the downlink baseline. The uplink supports CP-OFDM and DFT-s-OFDM, with rank-2 uplink MIMO for DFT-s-OFDM.
Current movement: Advanced low-PAPR uplink schemes remain under study because company simulations do not agree on their benefit.
LDPC remains the data-channel baseline and Polar remains the control-channel baseline within the established 5G range.
Current movement: A possible third LDPC base graph is being restricted to data rates beyond the ordinary 5G range; no final inclusion decision exists.
The study continues with a disaggregated CU/DU structure and explicit support for RAN-controlled data collection and authorized data access.
Current movement: Flow control, context handling and coordination across the split remain study topics.
A standalone 6G path is the stable base case. Additional dual-connectivity options remain under evaluation.
Current movement: A broad coalition opposes a 5G-anchored option; a 6G-anchored option retains support but has not been adopted.
The study limits the number of formal device tiers and includes mobile broadband, fixed wireless access and massive IoT.
Current movement: The low tier now has a one-antenna minimum and a defined 20 MHz radio-bandwidth baseline.
June 2026 plenaries
The scenarios report now carries scenario-specific minimum values rather than only broad ambitions.
CP-OFDM stays in the downlink and CP-OFDM or DFT-s-OFDM stays in the uplink. More elaborate uplink variants need further evidence.
LDPC and Polar remain the baseline. A new LDPC graph survives only as a conditional option for higher data rates.
The meeting received opposing proposals and did not settle whether a narrowed shaping study should continue.
Read the editorial account in 3GPP Quarterly — June 2026.
6G decisions across 13 work-item families in the June 2026 quarterly analysis. Each published claim points to a specification, TDoc or the quarterly evidence set. Maturity and meeting outcome are recorded separately.