Nokia, Ericsson and Germany’s Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI) have formed a joint research partnership to define the next generation of video compression for the 6G era – and to ensure Europe helps set the standard.
Ville-Veikko Mattila, Head of Multimedia Technologies at Nokia, said the three companies are “shaping the next generation of video standards” from the very start of the process, so that “the values of openness, excellence, and sustainability are embedded in the next generation of digital media experiences”. He said their first joint proof-of-concept codec delivers “considerably higher compression efficiency” than current standards including H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC and H.266/VVC, without a major increase in complexity. The partners also point to gains in energy efficiency and scalability.
Magnus Frodigh, Head of Research at Ericsson, said the partnership shows “the ability of European technology leaders to come together and pioneer breakthroughs”, and signals “our combined determination and commitment to shape the next generation of standards” for 6G-enabled services.
The work has already been submitted to the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group and ISO/IEC’s Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). The partners say it received positive early feedback and is intended to trigger the next video coding standardisation phase.
Prof. Thomas Wiegand, Executive Director of Fraunhofer HHI, said video technologies are “central to the digital experiences of tomorrow”, and that the collaboration underlines Europe’s strength in advanced media R&D and its active role in global standardisation.
The planned successor to VVC is expected to align with 6G rollout and enter practical use around 2029–2030. The partners position it as a foundation technology for the 2030s, covering mobile streaming, low-latency immersive media, gaming, 3D content, AI-generated video, automotive and industrial applications.
