ETSI noted that the initiative seeks to foster industry consensus on advanced multiple access methods aligned with 3GPP specifications
The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), an independent, non-profit organization responsible for developing globally applicable standards for information and communication technologies (ICT), has announced the creation of a new Industry Specification Group (ISG) dedicated to Multiple Access Techniques (MAT) for 6G mobile networks, the entity said in a release.
The initiative seeks to foster industry consensus on advanced multiple access methods aligned with 3GPP specifications, ETSI said.
The new group will investigate potential techniques such as Orthogonal Multiple Access (OMA), Spatial Division Multiple Access (SDMA), Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) and Rate-Splitting Multiple Access (RSMA) to enhance transmission efficiency across key parameters, including spectrum utilization, power efficiency, latency and user fairness.
ETSI also highlighted that the group will focus on deployment scenarios such as indoor hotspots, urban macro environments (e.g., High Demand Density areas), and rural settings. Its primary area of study will be downlink multiple access techniques for the physical layer of the 3GPP radio interface.
The ETSI ISG MAT officially launched with a kick-off meeting held on January 15-16, 2025, in London, gathering 24 participants from industry, academia and government entities. David Vargas, chair of the new group, said: “Multiple Access Techniques lie at the heart of mobile technology evolution and are a key enabler for enhancing the radio interface of IMT-2030 systems. We are thrilled to launch ISG MAT, bringing together industrial and academic expertise to accelerate the development of advanced Multiple Access Techniques for 6G mobile systems.”
The scope and key activities of the new group includes:
- Defining use cases, deployment scenarios, key performance indicators and evaluation methodologies
- Investigating transmitter and receiver processing structures, including complexity considerations
- Studying physical layer procedures
- Analyzing link-level and system-level performance
- Assessing the potential impact on specifications and identifying gaps
- Developing proof-of-concepts, prototypes and field trials
The ETSI ISG MAT will also produce group reports that will be shared with 3GPP and other relevant industry bodies to contribute to 6G standardization efforts.
“The new group will contribute to the development of 6G as a pervasive general-purpose communication system connecting humans and machines across a wide range of use cases. This initiative aligns with the evolving needs of future wireless networks, which are expected to support — amongst others ‚ new interactive immersive experiences and overcome the challenges of connectivity in High Demand Density areas. It will also provide more efficient and reliable media delivery over mobile networks at scale,” said ETSI.
