Workshop report : 5G and the road to 6G in Europe and beyond

The 2026 European 5G Observatory workshop took place online on 23 June. 2026, it explored Europe’s 5G progress, Digital Decade targets and future connectivity indicators as EU stakeholders assess the path from 5G to 6G. The workshop gathered 115 participants, ranging from EU and national authorities, telecoms stakeholders, technology providers and industry associations, to consultants, analysts and research-related actors. 

The event presented the main findings of the Observatory’s 2026 Report, published as part of the 2026 Digital Decade package, and discussed the role and significance of indicators for monitoring market developments, supporting the Digital Decade reporting process and informing future EU policy making in the area of connectivity.

It focused on the following areas :

• Europe’s transition from basic 5G roll-out towards advanced services, with greater attention to network capability, availability, quality of experience and adoption.
• The role of 5G standalone and private networks in creating value across multiple sectors, such as healthcare, education, agriculture, transport, industry and mission-critical connectivity.
• The future evolution of the Observatory’s indicators, including measures covering advanced 5G, private networks, take-up, industrial use and market outcomes.
• Early monitoring of Europe’s readiness for 6G, including research and innovation, spectrum, standardisation, use-case experimentation, AI-native networks and sustainability.

The discussion highlighted that Europe has largely achieved basic 5G coverage, while advanced deployment and adoption remain uneven. Participants and speakers agreed on the need for practical, comparable and proportionate indicators that capture the availability and use of advanced connectivity without creating unnecessary reporting burdens. The workshop also confirmed the Observatory’s continued value as a monitoring tool and its important role in supporting Digital Decade reporting as Europe moves towards 6G, cloud- and AI-enabled connectivity.

Explore further through the full workshop report, slides and recording