Qualcomm predicts 6g will be inherently ai-driven, targeting 2029 commercial rollout

During the 2026 Mobile Network Conference, Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano Amon asserted that 6G must be designed from the ground up to be AI-native, moving AI beyond a supplementary feature to an integral part of the network architecture. This vision involves continuous data flow between terminals, the edge, and the cloud, with AI embedded to predict and maintain performance even under weak signal conditions, while compute power is distributed across the entire network infrastructure. Evidence of this progression is already visible; in September of this year, Qualcomm and China Mobile successfully conducted the first interoperability test between a U6G-band base station prototype and a 6G terminal prototype, adhering to the latest 3GPP standards. Furthermore, at the China International Import Expo on November 5, Qualcomm publicly unveiled the first 3GPP-compliant 6G terminal prototype, which has already entered into interoperability verification partnerships with China Mobile and ZTE. Qualcomm Executive Vice President Durga Malladi anticipates that 6G will foster a new category of agentic AI devices. Amon noted that the industry focus is shifting from merely faster connectivity to developing entirely new business models and device types as the lines between AI, computing, and communications blur, with a commercial launch target set for 2029.