MWC26: ETSI’s Role in AI Security, 6G and the Quantum Era

Why It Matters

Standardised AI security and quantum‑resistant protocols are critical for protecting next‑generation 6G services, preventing costly breaches and maintaining trust in telecom infrastructure.

Key Takeaways

• ETSI leads global standards for upcoming 6G networks
• AI security framework integrates threat modeling and privacy safeguards
• Quantum‑ready protocols aim to protect data against future attacks
• Cross‑industry working groups accelerate standard adoption worldwide
• ETSI’s open collaboration reduces fragmentation in telecom standards

Pulse Analysis

The race to 6G is accelerating, with commercial trials expected by the early 2030s. Unlike 5G, which primarily expanded bandwidth and latency improvements, 6G promises terahertz frequencies, integrated sensing, and pervasive AI-driven services. Such complexity demands a common set of technical specifications to guarantee seamless handovers, spectrum efficiency, and global interoperability. ETSI, long recognized for its work on mobile broadband standards, is positioning itself as the central hub for these discussions, convening regulators, equipment manufacturers, and network operators to align on radio interface definitions, network slicing models, and sustainability metrics.

Artificial intelligence is becoming the brain of network management, traffic optimization and user‑experience personalization. However, AI models are vulnerable to adversarial attacks, data poisoning and privacy leaks, which could compromise entire carrier ecosystems. ETSI’s new AI security work‑group is drafting a reference architecture that embeds threat modeling, secure model training, and continuous monitoring into the lifecycle of AI services. By standardising these safeguards, operators can adopt AI solutions faster while reducing the risk of regulatory penalties and reputational damage.

Quantum computing threatens to break RSA and ECC encryption that underpins current telecom security. Anticipating this disruption, ETSI has launched a post‑quantum cryptography (PQC) task force to evaluate lattice‑based, hash‑based and code‑based algorithms for suitability in high‑throughput mobile networks. Early adoption of PQC standards will enable 6G infrastructure to protect subscriber data, signaling traffic and IoT device communications against future quantum attacks. ETSI’s collaborative model, which brings together academia, standards bodies and industry consortia, aims to deliver interoperable, hardware‑agnostic solutions before quantum processors become commercially viable.

Original Description

ETSI’s director general, Jan Ellsberger, discusses the role standardisation will play in emerging technologies such as 6G, how ETSI is bringing together experts to develop cybersecurity for AI, and the challenges that the quantum computing era will bring.

Featuring: Jan Ellsberger, Director-General, ETSI

Recorded March 2026

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