The standardization of 5G by 3GPP is now well underway, with the release of releases 15 (2018) and 16 (2020). Release 17 is almost complete but has been delayed due to the pandemic and release 18 is in its very first phase. In this context, French R&D must remain involved and even become a major player for the continuation of 5G and the networks of the future (beyond 5G, 6G). The alliance of the Institut Mines-Télécom, CEA and CNRS within a research program will allow the acceleration of this strategy and will guarantee the national sovereignty in the digital domain.

Access to the Internet is regarded by many as a fundamental right as stated by the ‘Joint declaration on freedom of expression and the Internet’ published by the UN in 2011. Besides, communication networks and ICT in general are often presented as required means to reduce the environmental impact of various industry sectors (e.g. energy, transport, agriculture, etc.). On the other hand, the deployment of new generations of mobile broadband networks (e.g., 4G in 2010 and 5G in 2020) has been so far the common practice of increasing the communication resources of wireless access networks.