6G Timeline

3GPP has now approved the Release 21 timeline for its first normative 6G specifications. Release 20 carries the 6G studies, while ITU-R runs the separate IMT-2030 submission and evaluation process. I am keeping the earlier milestones below so you can see how the schedule developed, and I mark future dates as targets rather than completed work.

• 3GPP and ITU Milestones
• What Comes Next ?
• Reference
• YouTube

3GPP and ITU Milestones

The dates below come from different kinds of work. A workshop starts discussion, a study examines options, and a freeze marks a planned point in the specification process. So a meeting date by itself does not mean that a 6G feature has been agreed or frozen. Future RAN1 meetings follow the published 3GPP RAN1 calendar and are marked as scheduled.

The Release 20 timeline graphic below shows the 2025 to 2027 plan. Its upper lane is the 5G-Advanced RAN work, while the widening band in the middle shows 6G studies across the RAN and SA groups. The lower lane shows SA and CT work. In the graphic, the 6G study band is separate from the Release 20 5G-Advanced freeze markers.

3GPP Release 20 timeline: 5G-Advanced freeze dates and parallel 6G study work.

The graphic also marks the Release 21 timeline decision as due no later than June 2026. That decision has since been made. Do not read the Release 20 functional freeze marks as dates for completed 6G specifications. The first normative 6G work belongs to Release 21, and its approved schedule is listed below.

• Release 20 studies inform Release 21 specifications. A study result can guide a later work item, but it is not itself a normative protocol rule.
• The graphic is a dated plan. For later Release 21 milestones, use the approved schedule rather than extrapolating from this Release 20 picture.

What Comes Next ?

Then when should we expect an actual 6G specification ? The approved Release 21 schedule gives several answers, depending on which kind of freeze you mean. ITU-R also has its own window for candidate radio interface submissions, so the 3GPP and ITU dates should be read together.

3GPP plans the Release 21 package approval and Stage 1 freeze for March 2027. Stage 1 covers service requirements. The Stage 2 architecture freeze follows in June 2028. The Stage 3 functional freeze is set for December 2028 at TSGs#122, and the ASN.1/OpenAPI freeze follows in March 2029. These are approved targets as of October 2026, not completed milestones. Release 21 is expected to contain the first normative 3GPP 6G specifications as well as further 5G-Advanced work.

ITU-R calls the global radio interface process IMT-2030. Its invitation accepts candidate terrestrial radio interface submissions from February 2027 through February 2029. ITU-R then evaluates the candidates against its technical requirements and evaluation guidelines. This is a separate process from freezing the 3GPP release. A 3GPP submission to ITU-R and the final 3GPP protocol coding freeze therefore need not fall on the same day.

The practical distinction is between a study, a normative specification, and an ITU-R evaluation result. The Release 20 studies investigate candidate methods. Release 21 turns selected work into 3GPP specifications. ITU-R assesses submitted radio interfaces for IMT-2030. None of these dates alone is a commercial launch date; deployment depends on equipment, spectrum, and operator plans after the standards work.

• December 2028 is the approved Release 21 functional freeze target. The ASN.1/OpenAPI freeze target is March 2029.
• February 2029 closes the stated ITU-R candidate submission window. This is an IMT-2030 process date, not a 3GPP release freeze.

Reference

• SP-231044 : 3GPP TSG#101 Bengaluru, India, Sept 11 15, 2023
• 6G standardization – an overview of timeline and high-level technology principles - Ericsson (Mar 2024)
• 3GPP-New 6G logo approved (Apr 2024)
• 3GPP Stage-1 Workshop on IMT2030 Use Cases (May 2024)
• 6G foundry: Make the migration from 5G to 6G a rewarding experience - Qualcomm (May 2024)
• RP-243327 : 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #106 December 9-12, 2024 - Study on 6G Scenarios and Requirements
• 3GPP Release 21 timeline - approved freeze dates (Jun 2026)
• 3GPP RAN#113 working group reports - 6G study status (Sep 2026)
• 3GPP RAN1 meeting calendar - scheduled meeting dates (checked Oct 2026)
• ITU-R IMT-2030 overview - requirements and evaluation guideline status
• ITU-R IMT-2030 submission and evaluation process - candidate radio interfaces

YouTube

• 6G Talk - Building future-ready Radio Network with Ari Kynslahti (Nokia) - 6G Flagship (Feb 2024)
• Introduction to 3GPP Release 19 and 6G Planning - ATIS (Apr 2024)