Telstra said it was pushing for the 6G standard to incorporate key elements that it believes would balance technological breakthroughs with new service opportunities and improved network efficiency for mobile carriers.

Network technology principal for devices, spectrum and standards, Nick Tompson, told the Connectivity Innovation Network’s Beyond 5G conference yesterday that from the outset 6G should be designed with the resilience and security expected of critical infrastructure. It should ideally also support ubiquitous coverage, he said.

He added that 6G represented an opportunity to optimise mobile network architecture to support autonomy and the needs of AI applications.

Support for long-range coverage would be essential for Australia, Tompson said. That has been a focus for Telstra across multiple generations of mobile technology, with the telco helping standardise “extreme rural coverage” in 5G. “It’s common in Australia to cover over 100 kilometres with a site, compared to 15 kilometres in most countries,” he said. He argued that 6G should provide seamless interworking between non-terrestrial and terrestrial networks. Telstra’s satellite-to-mobile messaging with Starlink currently uses 4G, which he noted is not optimised for the application.

While 5G NTN will introduce carrier-grade voice, 6G should take direct-to-device services further. “In 6G, we expect to see some further developments… optimising the experience of moving from terrestrial to satellite and back again,” he said. Tompson also pointed to new radio technology to meet strong mobile traffic growth. Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing—used in 4G, 5G and Wi-Fi—had “performed really well” for 20 years, he said, but remained “10dB shy of the Shannon limit.” Telstra is supporting research into Orthogonal Time Frequency Space, which he argued could offer better performance and simpler channel coding. 

Spectrum planning remained a critical issue. Tompson noted that 6GHz had already emerged as a key 6G band and that the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s allocation of 660MHz in the band for Wi-Fi had caused industry “heartburn,” leaving Australia “out of step with the rest of the world.” “We now find ourselves in this rather unique position of having to go around the world saying, ‘Hey, what the ACMA did, you should do that too’,” he said. 

Telstra was also backing integrated sensing and communication capabilities in 6G, pointing to use cases including digital-twin mapping, UAV detection, people and traffic growth, and environmental monitoring. Tompson said work was required domestically to support the eventual rollout of 6G. That included the timely renewal of spectrum licences. “It is absolutely critical that we’re able to renew our spectrum,” he said, noting that large volumes would expire around the time 6G is expected to emerge. 

Telstra has faced “literally exponential” traffic growth, with roughly 50% added each year over 15 years. Over that period, mid-band spectrum had increased only about 9% and low-band by about 6%, he said. “Renewal of all of our spectrum is absolutely critical.” Preparing for 6G would also involve relocating incumbent users from the 6GHz band, he said, identifying Telstra and NBN Co as significant fixed-link users.

 Tompson further raised the outlook for low-band spectrum, suggesting potential changes in television broadcasting could support a second digital dividend. “We think there’s a really good industry and Australian discussion to have here about what is the future of television,” he said, adding that more efficient broadcast technology and increasing delivery of services over the internet would be central.