NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global technology intelligence firm ABI Research forecasts that 6G AI infrastructure revenue will grow from US$3.76 billion in 2029 to US$97.62 billion in 2034, reflecting a 92% CAGR as AI becomes increasingly embedded across radios, basebands, and core infrastructure. The firm finds, however, that the larger enterprise opportunity will depend less on performance gains alone and more on how operators package programmability, distributed AI inference, application-aware networking, and sensing into solutions tied to measurable business outcomes.
“6G will not be monetized simply by offering faster networks,” said Sam Bowling, Industry Analyst at ABI Research. “The real commercial opportunity is in turning network capabilities into services enterprises can clearly value, whether that means charging for network APIs, metering edge inference, or bundling connectivity, compute, and sensing around uptime, efficiency, and operational performance.”
ABI Research’s forecast model separately analyzes AI-enabled 6G radios, AI-enabled basebands, and AI-enabled core infrastructure to isolate revenue directly attributable to AI functionality. According to the firm, these investments will support AI-driven network automation, optimization, and inference, but their business value will ultimately depend on the applications, software, and services built on top of that infrastructure.
The research identifies network APIs and edge inference metering as the lowest-risk monetization path for operators, while differentiated, application-aware Quality of Service will help them prove and charge for committed service levels. Over time, the most valuable model will be vertical outcome bundling, where operators combine connectivity, compute, AI, and sensing into propositions for manufacturing, logistics, utilities, and other enterprise sectors. The report also highlights ecosystem momentum from vendors and platforms including Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia, ZTE, Samsung, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Deutsche Telekom as the market develops.
“Operators should use 5G-Advanced as the commercial testbed for 6G rather than waiting for the next generation to arrive,” Bowling added. “The winners will be those that use today’s platforms to test differentiated QoS, API-based services, edge capabilities, and usage-based pricing, while also putting the right compute economics and partnership safeguards in place before AI infrastructure costs compress margins.”
These findings are from ABI Research’s Potential 6G Enterprise Monetization Strategies report, part of the company’s Enterprise Connectivity research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights.
About ABI Research
ABI Research is a global technology intelligence firm uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology solution providers and end-market companies. We serve as the bridge that seamlessly connects these two segments by providing exclusive research and expert guidance to drive successful technology implementations and deliver strategies proven to attract and retain customers.
ABI Research是一家全球性的技术情报公司，拥有得天独厚的优势，充当终端市场公司和技术解决方案提供商之间的桥梁，通过提供独家研究和专业性指导，推动成功的技术实施和提供经证明可吸引和留住客户的战略，无缝连接这两大主体。
For more information about ABI Research’s services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific, or visit www.abiresearch.com.
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