Catenaa, Sunday, March 08, 2026- Qualcomm has set a target to begin commercial 6G rollouts in 2029, unveiling a coalition of more than 50 global companies at Mobile World Congress to develop devices, networks, and cloud infrastructure.
The strategic group includes major operators, equipment vendors, cloud providers, and tech firms, all focused on AI-native 6G networks where connectivity, wide-area sensing, and high-performance computing intersect.
The company plans pre-commercial 6G devices and networks by 2028, potentially in time for the Los Angeles Olympics, followed by interoperable, global commercial deployments.
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon described 6G as a foundational platform for AI-driven enterprises, distributing intelligence across devices, the edge, and the cloud.
Coalition members include China’s top operators, BT, Airtel, SK Telecom, NTT DoCoMo, T-Mobile, Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and automotive partners like Hyundai and Geely.
The collaboration aims to align development efforts across multiple sectors to accelerate 6G adoption and standardization.
In parallel, Qualcomm introduced its Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset for AI-capable wearables, featuring a neural processing unit for on-device AI and multiple connectivity options including 5G RedCap, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ultra-wideband, and satellite-based networks.
Qualcomm expects the first devices using the new chipset to be commercially available within months, supporting the company’s vision of distributed AI across personal and mobile devices.
