The Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) Technical Board has released a comprehensive white paper, “6G for Media and Entertainment,” outlining how the next generation of mobile networks will fundamentally transform how content is created, delivered, and consumed in the 2030s.
The paper, which features contributions from leading experts across the European 6G ecosystem—including Hars Shah of HoloLight and Tomaso de Cola of DLR, both partners in UNITY-6G—asserts that 6G is the essential enabler for the media sector’s shift towards on-demand, immersive, and interactive experiences.
A New Era of Immersive Content
The Media & Entertainment (M&E) sector is poised for a structural overhaul driven by AI, generative media, and audience demand for deeper engagement. The white paper highlights key application areas that depend on 6G’s unique capabilities:
- Holographic Telepresence: Enabling realistic, real-time three-dimensional communication that requires massive bandwidth and ultra-low latency.
- Immersive Broadcasting: Delivering vastly superior quality Extended Reality (XR) and volumetric video for personalized viewing.
- Hybrid Events: Seamlessly integrating digital augmentations into live physical events.
- Cloud-Native Production: Facilitating global, collaborative media production using distributed cloud and edge computing.
The 6G Network Imperative
The paper stresses that 6G will move beyond mere speed increases to provide a new network fabric defined by:
- Extreme Connectivity: Achieving the data rates and predictability necessary for high-fidelity immersive content.
- AI-Native Network Architecture: Integrating AI and Machine Learning directly into the network core to enable automated, semantic-aware communication.
- Distributed Edge Computing: Placing processing power close to the user to support the real-time, compute-intensive nature of XR services.
The SNS JU is spearheading this European vision through its vast research and innovation portfolio, with 22 dedicated projects and 46 specific use cases focused on developing and validating the necessary 6G network capabilities.
The release of this white paper serves as a vital strategic document for media companies, technology providers, and researchers, charting the course for the adoption of next-generation digital experiences across Europe.
The full white paper, “6G for Media and Entertainment,” is available here.
