NTIA to Make the 2028 Olympics a 6G Testbed

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2025 – Adam Cassady, principal deputy assistant secretary of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said Wednesday that artificial intelligence and 6G were “already converged.”

Cassady said NTIA’s plans to showcase emerging 6G technologies during the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, an initiative dubbed Mission LA 2028 that will serve as a live demonstration of AI-powered networking and advanced connectivity applications.

“The idea is simple,” Cassady said, “take the most ambitious, forward-leaning 6G concepts – integrated sensing, AI-powered networking, immersive experiences – and show the world that they can work, safely and securely, at scale – and, proverbially, ahead of time and under budget.”

Cassady said NTIA views open standards as critical to maintaining trusted and secure global connectivity. He cited his recent trip to Beijing, where the industry achieved what he called a “real win for openness and interoperability” –  the inclusion of the O-RAN Alliance specification in the draft 6G standard for the first time. 

The move, he said, will make it easier for trusted vendors to interoperate and scale networks more quickly, advancing U.S. efforts to promote open, secure, and vendor-diverse 6G architecture.

“AI will shape how 6G works under the hood – optimizing networks, predicting failures, dynamically allocating spectrum – and 6G will, in turn, shape how AI reaches the edge,” Cassady said. “It’s a feedback loop between intelligence and connectivity, and the countries that understand that relationship first will define the next digital era.”

Cassady highlighted NVIDIA’s $1 billion equity investment in Nokia, which gives the chipmaker a 2.9 percent stake and launches a strategic partnership to build AI-native telecom networks.

“We look forward to seeing what the best in AI and the best in network architecture can do to bring radically new capabilities online,” he said.

Cassady said NTIA intends to play a “supporting role” in shaping the next generation of wireless connectivity, working alongside other federal agencies and the private sector to identify 6G use cases that deliver real value for consumers, businesses, and government.

He urged industry leaders to engage directly with the agency as it develops the nation’s 6G roadmap, inviting collaboration and ideas. “Bring us your pitches, your shower thoughts,” he said, adding that NTIA wants the private sector to help “route around the slowdowns.”