The governments of the United States and Sweden signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration across several fields of telecommunications and security. Called the technology deal, the document mentions the development of 6G.
According to the MoU, both nations will collaborate on R&D, promote the development and diffusion of trusted technology stacks, including AI and network technologies, and coordinate on the development of international telecommunications standards.
The document breaks down collaboration across eight areas, including AI, connectivity industry, biomedicine, energy, space, and quantum security.
Specifically, the MoU mentions 6G as one of the key technologies to target. “Strengthening and expanding joint research and development on 5G/6G, including on wireless networks, cloud, electronics, and security, while advancing strategic use cases in critical infrastructure, defence, and mission-critical applications, and applied AI,” the deal reads.
Swedish company Ericsson, which has been working on next-gen connectivity for years, welcomed the agreement. “We are building on a foundation of decades of cooperation between our two countries,” Erik Ekudden, CTO of Ericsson, said in a press release.
“As an example, Ericsson is a very important company. It is one of the only companies in the world that can compete on 5G and 6G. It is very meaningful what we (Sweden and the US) signed today, because I think it will give further impetus to what we’ve already done together in the past,” he added.
The full text of the Memorandum of Understanding is available here.
Push for 6G in the US
That’s not the first time 6G appears in the US federal sphere this year. In April, Representative Julie Johnson (D-TX) introduced a bipartisan bill that urges the United States government to intensify its diplomatic engagement to ensure US interests in telecoms are met. The legislation would also ask it to set out a strategy to “promote and dominate 6G technology globally.”
“The race to 6G is underway, and the United States cannot afford to fall behind. The USA 6G Global Leadership Act ensures that we—not our adversaries—set the standards while strengthening our national security and economic competitiveness,” said Johnson in a press release.
