As we approach a new year, InterDigital’s R&I leaders, Head of Wireless Lab Milind Kulkarni, Head of Video Lab Lionel Oisel, and Head of AI Lab Jaideep Chandrashekar, share their predictions for the trends and milestones ahead in 2026.
What’s on the tech horizon for 2026?
1.5G-Advanced expands globally. As 5G expands globally, especially in emerging markets, 5G-Advanced will begin to deliver tangible improvements, from multi-gigabit speeds to ultra-low-latency services that unlock fresh possibilities for consumers and enterprises alike. A key priority in 2026 will be to learn from the past wireless evolutions and apply those lessons to shape better network capabilities and futures.
2. Standards setting strategic direction for 6G. The next two years are critical for 3GPP member companies to align on the 6G vision and ensure they complete technical studies in support of developing 6G architecture, requirements, and specifications. This is a critical phase for creating the foundational IP portfolio from long-term standards-based research that will underpin the next generation of wireless. In 2026, interoperability and global standards will remain critical priorities, especially as the current political climate raises concerns that diverging national and regional agendas and too many proprietary “extensions” could fragment the global standards that have historically underpinned telecom’s success.
3. More advanced immersive use cases enabled by next-gen wireless. Consumer demand for connectivity and intelligent communication services will continue to grow, pushing the telecom industry to find new and creative ways to meet the demand. 2026 will likely see greater adoption of advanced use cases like XR, smart industry applications, and intelligent network services – especially as operators find ways to deploy these capabilities profitably. As standalone 5G and edge computing expand, we may begin to see early versions of future-looking services like holographic calls and mobile cloud gaming with guaranteed quality of service debut in the new year.
4. Wi-Fi 7 becomes a new gold standard. In 2026, Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) will become a default for home broadband routers, enterprise access points, and top-tier smartphones. Shifting the focus from speed to “determinism” or the ability to deliver predictable, consistent performance with low latency and reliability, consumers will likely recognize the benefits of Wi-Fi 7 in smoother gaming, more comfortable and immersive AR/VR experiences, more stable video calls, and consistent performance across a growing number of connected devices.
5. AI-driven networks are on the horizon, but practical risks to adoption may emerge. As the AI-driven network paradigm accelerates, telecom will remain a central pillar of the digital economy for the next decade. Still, there is the practical risk that AI adoption may take longer to mature or commercialize than anticipated. For context, truly autonomous networks run by AI are still in early days, and scaling from demos to nationwide carrier networks will be challenging and require significant integration and trust in AI decision-making.
6. Video standards begin to explore AI-enabled codec technology. The upcoming JVET call for proposals will likely see AI playing a pivotal role in enhancing and complementing traditional codec technologies. AI is expected to help drive video codecs beyond the capabilities of VVC, one of the most advanced video codecs available today. Leveraging AI with today’s technology could lead to increased performance and efficiency of existing codecs, while standards bodies are exploring a move toward “AI-native” codec models for future standards.
7. Low-latency and energy-aware streaming capabilities will be prioritized. Streaming continues to dominate our viewing habits and advancements in low-latency solutions and improved protocols will enable next-generation streaming experiences and support a push towards real-time communication standards in the future. As demand for high-quality video continues to rise, energy-efficient video technologies, like InterDigital’s Pixel Value Reduction (PVR) innovation, will gain significant momentum.
8. Interactive media experiences to reach new heights. Consumers have come to expect non-linear content that is personalized, interactive, and accessible, and we expect they’ll seek increasing levels of engagement, immersion, and interactivity. Advancements in gaming have paved the way for more interactive media, and emerging complementary technologies like Gaussian splatting, avatar-based representations, and haptic feedback promise to unlock truly immersive content like never experienced before.
9. Generative AI to bring new content. In 2026, GenAI-based technologies will continue to transform how content is produced, shared, and experienced, enabling certain content types to be created faster and cheaper. This technology’s potential is also likely to introduce a new set of societal discussions, policies, and regulatory approaches around content moderation, assessing veracity, and other topics.
10. Growth of Agentic AI Across Domains: The new year will see AI agents in many more places, alongside the maturation of agentic workflows where goal-seeking AI agents will begin to autonomously perform relatively complex tasks. This integration of agentic operation is likely to impact a wide number of domains, including wireless network operations, media content generation and management, and a variety of enterprise workflows.