European communication giants Nokia and Ericsson collaborate with the Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) in Berlin to promote standardization of next-generation video coding, paving the way for immersive media and mobile video experiences in the 6G era.

For the first time, the three parties have gathered their research and development capabilities in video encoding and decoding, aiming to enhance Europe’s voice in the formulation of next-generation standards. The joint team has demonstrated a new video codec that achieves significantly higher compression efficiency than current standards (H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, H.266/VC) without significantly increasing complexity, while also consuming less energy and having stronger scalability.

Ville Weikko Mattila, head of multimedia technology at Nokia, said: “For thirty years, Nokia inventors have been deeply involved in all commercial H.26x video compression technologies. We hope to integrate the values of openness, excellence, and sustainability at the beginning of the standard journey.”

The relevant research documents have been submitted to the International Telecommunication Union Video Coding Experts Group (ITU-T VCEG) and the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission Moving Picture Experts Group (ISO/IEC MPEG), and have received positive feedback, which is expected to accelerate subsequent evaluation and decision-making.

Magnus Frodigh, Head of Research at Ericsson, stated that “as a global leader in connectivity technology, Ericsson is actively researching 6G enabling technologies. We are proud to collaborate with Nokia and Fraunhofer HHI, showcasing the ability of European technology companies to make joint breakthroughs and demonstrating our determination to participate in standard setting from the very beginning.”

According to the deployment pace of 6G, the next generation of video encoding standards is expected to be put into commercial use from 2029 to 2030, and will define the digital media landscape in the following decade. Before the new standards are implemented, existing standards such as VVC will continue to support efficient streaming media, immersive media, and advanced video experiences across devices and networks.

The new standard will cover mobile communication, streaming media, immersive and low latency scenarios, supporting various use cases such as professional content, user generated content, AI generated content, gaming and 3D content, machine oriented consumer content, as well as automotive and industrial applications.

Professor Thomas Wiegand, Executive Director of Fraunhofer HHI, summarized, “Video technology is the core of future digital experiences. This collaboration showcases Europe’s strong capabilities in advanced media technology and global standardization, and also relies on the continued contributions of the JVET research community.”