Backgrounder:

As stated for years in IEEE Techblog posts, ITU-R Working Party 5D (WP 5D) is responsible for all International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) terrestrial radio interface technology (RIT/SRIT) reports and standards, e.g. 3G, 4G, 5G (IMT 2020) and 6G (IMT 2030).

5D has developed the minimum technical performance requirements and the evaluation criteria for IMT 2020 (5G) and will do so now for IMT 2030 (6G) along with other reports and standards described in this article

While any ITU member can propose IMT 2030 RIT/SRIT candidate standards, it is expected that they will principally come from 3GPP which contributes their specs to 5D via ATIS.

Standards for the non-radio aspects of 5G and 6G were supposed to be promulgated by ITU-T, but 3GPP (which develops those specifications) years ago decided NOT to liaise their specs with ITU-T.

–>Please see References at the bottom of this article for more information.

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ITU-R M.[IMT-2030.EVAL] – 6G RIT/SRIT Evaluation Criteria:

The 5D WG Technology aspects/SWG Evaluation is working on a report which will provide guidelines for the procedure, the methodology and the criteria (technical, spectrum and service) to be used in evaluating the candidate IMT-2030 radio interface technologies (RITs) or Set of RITs (SRITs) for a number of test environments. These test environments are chosen to closely simulate more stringent radio operating environments.

The evaluation procedure is designed in such a way that the overall performance of the candidate RITs/SRITs may be fairly and equally assessed on a technical basis. It ensures that the overall IMT-2030 objectives are met. This Report provides, for proponents, developers of candidate RITs/SRITs and independent evaluation groups, the common evaluation methodology and evaluation configurations to evaluate the candidate RITs/SRITs and system aspects impacting the radio performance.

–>This report is scheduled to be finalized at the WP 5D Meeting No. 52 (Geneva, 27 May-5 June 2026).

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ITU-R M.[IMT-2030.SUBMISSION] – 6G RIT/SRIT Submission Guidelines:

The draft new 5D Report ITU-R M.[IMT-2030.SUBMISSION], originating from the 5D July 2025 meeting, defines the submission guidelines, templates, and evaluation methodology for 6G Radio Interface Technologies (RITs/SRITs). The report focuses on enabling technology proposals for IMT-2030 which are to be submitted from February 2027 to February 2029 for 5D evaluation and approval.

• Submission & Evaluation Guidelines: The report serves as the official guide for submitting candidate Radio Interface Technologies (RITs) or Sets of Radio Interface Technologies (SRITs) for IMT-2030.
• Structure: It is modeled after earlier reports like M.2411 (for 5G), defining the evaluation criteria, procedures, and templates for 6G technologies.
• Technical Requirements: It outlines minimum performance requirements (MPRs) for 6G, including advanced capabilities like artificial intelligence, energy efficiency, and joint requirements.
• Timeline: The report is central to the 2027-2030 timeline, aiming for the first submissions at the 54th WP 5D meeting (Feb 2027) and final submission by early 2029.
• Context: It aligns with the ITU-R M.2160 framework (the “6G Vision”), which encompasses six usage scenarios: immersive communication, hyper-reliable low-latency communication, massive communication, ubiquitous connectivity, AI-integrated communication, and integrated sensing and communication. 

WP 5D Workplan for IMT 2030 RIT/SRITs:

As previously noted, 5D will accept and evaluate IMT 2030 candidate RIT/SRIT submissions starting at 54th meeting of WP 5D, currently planned for February 2027. The final deadline for submissions is 12 calendar days prior to the start of the 59th meeting of WP 5D in February 2029. The evaluation of the proposed RITs/SRITs by the independent evaluation groups and the consensus-building process will be performed throughout this two year time period and thereafter. Subsequent calendar schedules will be decided according to the submissions of proposals to 5D.

WP 5D meetings in 2030 will focus on the final stages of evaluating, adopting, and approving 6G technology submissions, aiming for approval of the final IMT-2030 recommendation in late 2030.  The 5D tentative meeting schedule for 2030:

• Meeting No. 62 (February 2030): 1 Finalize Addendum 6 to Circular Letter taking into account the draft new Report ITU-R M.[IMT-2030. OUTCOME]. 2 Review and update the work plan, if necessary.
• Meeting No. 63 (June 2030): 1 Develop and finalize Addendum 7 to Circular Letter taking into account completion of the draft new Recommendation ITU-R M.[IMT 2030.SPECS].
• Meeting No. 63 (October 2030):  Finalize standards before potential approval by ITU-R SG 5 in November 2030 or early 2031. 

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ITU-R IMT-2030 (6G) Frequency Arrangements:

It’s crucial to note the required ITU-R 6G co-standard – ITU-R IMT-2030 (6G) Frequency Arrangements  – which will also be developed by 5D and is currently under study.  Definitive, standardized frequency bands, along with duplexing methods, are expected to be finalized in late 2030-to-early 2031 following WRC-27  which is scheduled for October 18 to November 12, 2027 in Shanghai, China. 

The IMT 2030 frequency framework envisions utilizing a wide spectrum range from sub-1 GHz for coverage up to frequencies above 100 GHz for high-capacity needs. Candidate frequency bands for future study include 3.8–4.2 GHz, 4.4–4.8 GHz, 10.7–15.35 GHz, and 18.1–19.7 GHz.

–>Note that the IMT 2020 (5G) Frequency Arrangements standard was completed AFTER the IMT 2020 RIT/SRIT standard was approved in February 2021.  Let’s hope the IMT 2030 (6G) Frequency Arrangements standard is approved coincident with the IMT 2030 RIT/SRIT standard and NOT afterwards.

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References:

ITU-R WP 5D Meeting Reports (TIES access required)

https://www.itu.int/en/events/Pages/Calendar-Events.aspx?sector=ITU-R&group=R23-WP5D

https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/study-groups/rsg5/rwp5d/imt-2030/pages/default.aspx

https://www.itu.int/wrc-27/

Roles of 3GPP and ITU-R WP 5D in the IMT 2030/6G standards process

ITU-R WP 5D Timeline for submission, evaluation process & consensus building for IMT-2030 (6G) RITs/SRITs

ITU-R WP5D IMT 2030 Submission & Evaluation Guidelines vs 6G specs in 3GPP Release 20 & 21

Highlights of 3GPP Stage 1 Workshop on IMT 2030 (6G) Use Cases

ITU-R WP 5D reports on: IMT-2030 (“6G”) Minimum Technology Performance Requirements; Evaluation Criteria & Methodology

ITU-R: IMT-2030 (6G) Backgrounder and Envisioned Capabilities

Verizon’s 6G Innovation Forum joins a crowded list of 6G efforts that may conflict with 3GPP and ITU-R IMT-2030 work

Ericsson and e& (UAE) sign MoU for 6G collaboration vs ITU-R IMT-2030 framework

ITU-R WP5D invites IMT-2030 RIT/SRIT contributions

NGMN issues ITU-R framework for IMT-2030 vs ITU-R WP5D Timeline for RIT/SRIT Standardization

IMT-2030 Technical Performance Requirements (TPR) from ITU-R WP5D

Should Peak Data Rates be specified for 5G (IMT 2020) and 6G (IMT 2030) networks?