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6G needs a problem to solve — otherwise monetization will remain elusive
The telecom industry is already deep into 6G conversations, but according to longtime industry strategist Vish Nandlall, the narrative is missing a cornerstone: a compelling economic reason for 6G to exist. Unlike 3G, which unlocked the mobile internet, or 4G, which ushered in the smartphone revolution, 6G lacks a clear, global-scale demand driver.
“6G needs a problem that needs to be solved at [a] global scale,” Nandlall said on the most recent episode of Unmuted, pointing to (possibly) ultra-precise wireless sensing or deterministic robotics links. But as it stands today, he continued, he just doesn’t see where the monetization is going to come from.
Instead of a single mass-market consumer breakthrough, Nandlall believes 6G may ultimately “survive on … several enterprise-scale markets,” such as utilities, defense, and automotive. Less “glamorous,” perhaps, but more realistic as a business model.
Operators are still working to understand whether 5G can clear its cost of capital, and Nandlall warns that the industry can’t afford a repeat of the millimeter-wave misalignment he described as “very costly for Verizon” with slow commercialization. He argued that operators must tie 6G spending to tangible revenue: “The lesson is not [to] spend less, but higher spending tightly to revenue visibility.”
He added, as well: “We are really going to need to be disciplined as an industry. Competition definitely makes it hard to be disciplined.” He listed several “discipline” levers — infrastructure sharing, staged rollouts, and software-centric investments — that will be essential. If headline 6G capabilities like AI-native services or precise positioning don’t show willingness to pay, “we’re going to have to defer capex.”
He acknowledged that private networks and edge-integrated services remain the strongest commercial bet, explaining that because enterprises are pulling to play for SLAs, “there’s real recurring demand.”Still, with spectrum liberalization and hyperscaler bundling, operators risk being relegated to commodity transport.
So, what would signal that 6G is on track? Nandlall is blunt: Look for scale, not demos. Signs of success include meaningful SLA-based revenue — “greater than 20% of operator revenues in a market” — ecosystem alignment, and a falling cost-per-bit curve. Otherwise, 6G risks becoming “an incremental cost-focused upgrade.”
For now, his base case is that 6G is “enterprise first,” but with an open door for a surprise consumer resurgence — if a breakthrough device arrives at the right moment.
