Finland and Japan agree on 6G technology cooperation

The Finnish 6G Flagship research program coordinated by the University of Oulu and the Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium of the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications have today signed a document on mutual 6G technology cooperation. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was published in Tokyo in connection with the Global Digital Summit organized by The Nikkei, a Japanese financial media, and the Japanese Ministry of the Interior and Communications.

6G Flagship and the Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium are now launching research and development collaboration on 6G technology. In addition, the goal is to contribute significantly to the global standardization and regulatory development of 6G technology.

Director of 6G Flagship, Academy Professor Matti Latva-aho is pleased with the launch of the collaboration and recognizes its significance for the Finnish 6G research and development.

-Japan is a major global player in the development of wireless mobile technologies and it is in Finland’s interest to expand the cooperation to themes where mutual competitive advantage can be achieved for 6G development. The importance of the collaboration is underlined by Japan’s decision earlier this spring to invest $2 billion in the development of 6G technologies.

In addition to the University of Tokyo and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, the key member organizations of the Beyond 5G Promotion Consortium in Japan include several Japanese telecommunications companies, operators and the conglomerate SoftBank. 6G Flagship is a research, development and innovation program funded by the Academy of Finland and the University of Oulu for 2018−2026. Cooperation with Japan is part of the expansion of 6G Flagship’s international ecosystem.