Does 6G matter?

For more than a decade, each new generation of mobile connectivity has arrived with bold promises: faster speeds, lower latency, and new digital experiences that would reshape industries. Yet reality has often looked different. Many organisations are still trying to extract value from 5G, and large regions of the world cannot access reliable 5G coverage at all.

Against that backdrop, talk of 6G is accelerating. Standards bodies, vendors, researchers, and infrastructure providers are outlining visions for what comes next. But the big question remains: does 6G actually matter – especially for businesses still wrestling with today’s connectivity gaps?

The answer is complicated. Early industry research suggests 6G, such that the term is understood, may not deliver a dramatic leap in raw speed compared with mature 5G networks. Yet many experts argue that the potential value of 6G lies less in headline numbers and more in how networks will behave, evolve, and integrate with intelligent systems.

A recurring theme among experts is that the real significance of 6G won’t be raw speed. In fact, early forecasts suggest the performance jump over 5G may be far less dramatic than previous generational shifts.

Ian Fogg, director of network innovation at CCS Insight, tells ITPro that early 6G discussions are still speculative because “6G is not yet a standard”. But he emphasizes that research efforts are focusing on areas far more ambitious than traditional speed boosts. “6G will enable access to new spectrum bands,” he says, “and a key focus will be what the industry calls ‘ubiquitous connectivity’, which means better integration with satellite and high-altitude platforms.”

He also highlights the role of AI, explaining that “another area is to improve the efficiency of 6G through greater use of machine learning and AI to support the AI applications of the network’s users.”

Other experts agree. Christophe Firth, partner at Kearney, explains that 6G is about more than just faster speeds.

“Its real value lies in transforming networks into AI-native systems that combine sensing and compute capabilities,” he says, adding the ambition is to deliver “safety-critical and spatially aware services, such as coordinated autonomous vehicles, industrial automation or digital twins of entire cities”.

This marks a significant reframing of what a mobile network is. Instead of simply carrying data, 6G would act as an intelligent system capable of understanding and interacting with the world around it.

Jason Gilmore, CTO at Adalo, puts it more simply: “Even if 6G does not bring a huge leap in raw speed over 5G, there is real value in moving forward with its development.” The key, he says, is “native AI integration built directly into the network,” enabling “truly autonomous systems” and “AI-powered edge computing everywhere”.

Where previous generations were defined by user experiences like streaming with 4G and low-latency Internet of Things (IoT) networks with 5G, 6G is shaping up to be defined by network intelligence.

Is 6G real progress, or just the next hype cycle?

Every new generation of mobile technology has arrived with bold promises, and several experts caution that 6G risks following the same pattern.

Fogg argues it’s “really too early for 6G hype,” noting that formal standards work began only recently and that the industry is cautious not to repeat the overpromising that hampered early 5G adoption. “I expect, if anything, 6G will be under-hyped by the time it arrives.”

Others are more skeptical. Panayot Kalinov, senior software developer at Casinoreviews.net, notes that “much of what’s being said about 6G feels like hype,” even though real research continues behind the scenes. He says vendors often “latch onto the term to keep investors excited”.

Alex Kugell, chief technology officer at Trio, agrees that some 6G narratives are designed to maintain investment cycles rather than address real business needs. “Much of the hype feels like a strategy to keep investment flowing,” he says, stressing that “businesses do not just need more speed. They need reliability, traceability, and built-in compliance”.

Matt Beucler, CEO at Plura AI, adds the telecoms sector hasn’t seen a truly transformative leap since the move from 3G to 4G. “Big promises often disguise small, incremental changes,” he explains. “Jumping to 6G without finishing the job on 5G is not just impractical – it’s wasteful.”

But not all questions surrounding 6G are negative. Many experts argue that meaningful innovation is happening, just not at the headline-grabbing level. As Firth puts it: “There is substantial and legitimate research underway on 6G, but there is also a lot of hype, making it harder to separate real, lasting innovation from speculation.”

Businesses still need 5G to work properly first

A strong consensus emerges among experts: before organizations even think about 6G, they must extract the full value from 5G.

Gilmore explains that many regions “still do not have reliable 5G coverage,” meaning companies would make far more progress by “concentrating on optimizing 5G first.” He says improving coverage, integrating legacy systems, and boosting IoT scalability with 5G “delivers benefits you can measure right now”.

Gökhan Tok, senior manager, space and connectivity at Access Partnership argues that IT leaders should focus on delivering results first.

“Meaningful connectivity and digital inclusion is more important than numbers of generations,” he tells ITPro, warning that having 6G in urban centres “wouldn’t mean much if there are still dark spots in the outback or rural and remote areas where people are not part of the digital inclusion”.

Several experts also highlight the need for stronger private networks. “Most financial systems struggle not with bandwidth but with gaps in data integrity and end-to-end visibility,” he says. What’s needed is “reliability, traceability, and built-in compliance.”

Beucler adds that “what’s needed is stable, secure, low-latency networks,” which he says 5G already promises but doesn’t yet consistently deliver. Businesses should “extend 5G infrastructure, integrate edge compute, scale private networks, and focus on compliance and reliability.”

The message from across the industry is unmistakable: 6G may be coming, but the real work – and the real value – is still with 5G.

So, does 6G matter?

The answer is both yes and not yet.

If 6G is evaluated purely on speed, it is unlikely to justify the hype. Many of its most ambitious use cases either duplicate 5G promises or require enormous infrastructure shifts that may take a decade or more.

But if the industry succeeds in building AI-native, sensing-enabled, highly programmable, globally integrated networks, then 6G could be transformative. It could become the intelligent fabric underpinning autonomous systems, industrial coordination, hyper-precise connectivity, and truly seamless global communication.

For now, though, the strongest expert consensus is this: businesses should focus on optimizing 5G, coverage, reliability, edge computing, private networks, IoT security, and compliance, before looking toward 6G.

“Getting private networks, edge orchestration and network slicing right will deliver tangible value while laying the groundwork for a credible future 6G rollout,” says As Firth.

6G may one day matter enormously. But today, what matters most is making the networks already in place deliver on the promises we’ve been hearing for years.