6G Forge: Commercialising 6G

6G Forge

Commercialising 6G

October 21, 2026

London

In partnership with

When "build it and they will come" is over, why build it?

Co-Located with Telco 2031, 6G Forge takes a deep dive into the difficult and as-yet unclear question of where the commercial benefit of the 6G transition lies.

Without this, 6G is an expensive gamble for the industry’s vendor ecosystem and a driver of risk for telcos.

In 2026 a variety of interested parties have started to explore this. During a day of conversation under Chatham House Rules we will dive into their perspectives, among others, and look at the end-user markets, to start unravelling:

What benefits 6G can credibly offer to consumers, enterprises and governments – and would those be point solutions or network-wide?
How the roadmap to 6G commercialisation can or should build on 5G and 5G-A.
What demand there is for telecoms services beyond those currently offered.
What forms of implementation would complement existing telco strategies.
What timelines are realistic for implementation, and will customers wait for them?
What relationship any of this has to the 6G in telecoms standards development as currently understood.

While we will run the day under Chatham House Rules, the key points of the discussion will be collated, turned into real-world outputs to drive change, and shared with you and key stakeholders globally.

Format

A day of intense discussions will involve you, as well as stakeholders from

end users
government leaders
commercial, financial and technical leaders from telecoms providers
industry bodies and
the telecoms and AI vendor ecosystem.

By reaching across silos you gain a different perspective on what kind of innovation is truly needed from the next generation.

We will build upon expert perspectives to create curated discussions, structured debates and a unique set of insights you won’t find elsewhere.

Agenda

09.00 – 11.00 Welcome and framing for the day’s discussions

What do end-user industries actually need?

We hear from the users and potential users across a variety of industries. What improved communications capabilities would move the needle for their work? What would they pay for? And what timelines fit their typical upgrade cycles?

11.20 – 13.00 Pictures of 6G commercialisation

A variety of companies and industry bodies have put forward pictures of what 6G commercialisation should look like, whose problems get solved and where the value lies. We invite them to share their views, clarify the areas of difference and overlap, and take questions from the audience.

14.00 – 15.30 Is there a clear business upgrade path to 6G?

Telcos are already working to commercialise 5G and 5G-Advanced as well as other capabilities such as cybersecurity and network APIs. To what extent can these services help build a realistic path towards commercial 6G capabilities? If they cannot, what is the right way to build out the business and technology elements to support real need – and who pays?

16.00 – 17.30 The standards-to-product timeline vs. user needs.

The telecoms industry tends to think about its own technology generations in cycles of roughly a decade, with standards releases every couple of years. How well does this fit in with potential clients’ own timelines to secure improved services? Will they wait for standards-compliant solutions? If not, what options do telcos and customers face?

Audience polling on further questions, next steps and end of meeting.

17.30 on Evening networking activities

Take part

Attendance is complementary for a select group of invited professionals or you can purchase a ticket. If you would like to join them, please contact us or register here: