Ericsson sees six-fold uplink demand surge, warns 6G not to repeat 5G mistakes

Ericsson forecasts a six-fold rise in uplink capacity demand as AI devices and apps reshape mobile traffic. The vendor wants 6G, starting in 2029/30, to launch with a standalone architecture reusing 5G SA core components to avoid the deployment complexity that delayed 5G SA.

• Uplink demand to triple in the next couple of years, then triple again
• 43 of 55 operators already saw uplink grow faster than downlink in 2025
• 6G should start as SA, reusing 5G SA core components
• Ericsson is working on uplink-downlink decoupling and AI-native receivers