The Distillery: EU Joins Global 6G Coalition and Pay by Bank Expands in the UK

May 2026

Telecoms & Connectivity

Juniper Research

Analyst House

In this edition:

• The EU joins GCOT, as governments increasingly treat 6G infrastructure as a geopolitical and strategic priority.
• UK merchants accelerate Pay by Bank adoption, as Open Banking moves into mainstream checkout experiences.
• The UK commits £46.5m to advanced air mobility, though regulation and public trust remain major barriers to scale.
• Our latest insights on direct-to-cell, business messaging, stablecoins, digital identity verification, and AI cybersecurity. ​

TELECOMS & CONNECTIVITY

EU Partners with GCOT on 6G Security & Infrastructure Development​

The European Union just became the first strategic partner of the Global Coalition on Telecommunications (GCOT); a multilateral alliance focused on telecoms security, resilience, and next-generation network development. The partnership expands coordination between the EU, the US, UK, Japan, Canada, Australia, Finland, and Sweden, around the future direction of 6G and digital infrastructure.

The move comes as governments increasingly treat 6G development as a strategic priority, rather than simply the next commercial mobile upgrade cycle. Alongside technical collaboration, the coalition is focused on issues such as supply chain resilience, standards influence, infrastructure security, and reducing reliance on politically sensitive vendors.

Distilled…

🟣 6G is becoming a geopolitical project as much as a telecoms one. The EU joining GCOT highlights how governments increasingly view next-generation networks as strategic infrastructure, with implications for economic competitiveness, national resilience, and technological sovereignty. This is particularly important as countries seek greater control over critical digital infrastructure following years of concern around supply chain concentration and dependence on foreign vendors.

🟣 Standards influence is emerging as one of the biggest battlegrounds. Much of the long-term value in 6G may ultimately come from shaping standards, architecture, and intellectual property frameworks before commercial deployments even begin. By aligning earlier around policy and security principles, Western governments are attempting to strengthen their influence over how future telecoms infrastructure is designed and governed globally. This becomes increasingly important as China continues investing heavily in 6G research, patents, and standards participation.

🟣 Europe is trying to avoid repeating its 5G mistakes. The timing of the partnership reflects lessons learned during the 5G era, where security concerns and vendor concentration forced governments into reactive policy decisions. By engaging earlier in the 6G cycle, the EU and GCOT members are attempting to shape ecosystems proactively around resilience, interoperability, and supplier diversity before infrastructure becomes deeply embedded.

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This analysis is based on insights from our upcoming 6G research, which explores how operators can move beyond speed-led connectivity models to generate sustainable ROI from 6G investments through AI-native infrastructure, enterprise services, and next-generation digital platforms.

Click below to register your interest and be notified when the research launches in a few weeks' time!

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MORE TELECOMS INSIGHTS

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FINTECH & PAYMENTS

Why UK Merchants Are Turning to Pay by Bank​

Over the last two years, UK companies ranging from Wetherspoons and eBay to Amazon have begun integrating Pay by Bank into their checkout experiences; allowing consumers to make account-to-account (A2A) payments directly from their bank accounts using Open Banking infrastructure. Instead of entering card details, users authenticate payments through their banking app, typically using biometrics.

For merchants, this offers lower transaction costs, instant settlement, and reduced reliance on card schemes. This comes as businesses increasingly reassess payment costs, checkout performance, and ownership of the customer relationship; particularly as digital wallets continue reshaping online checkout experiences.

Distilled…

🟣 Low-margin merchants are emerging as early adopters. Hospitality businesses such as Wetherspoons have been among the first major adopters of Pay by Bank, largely because even small reductions in interchange fees can materially impact profitability. App-based ordering environments also naturally support A2A payments. Customers are already operating within a digital flow, which makes biometric bank authentication less disruptive than it would be at a traditional physical checkout.

🟣 Pay by Bank fits some checkout environments far better than others. While Pay by Bank performs well in app-based and recurring payment scenarios, higher-risk eCommerce environments remain more challenging. Marketplaces such as eBay face higher levels of disputes, refunds, and fraud concerns; making consumers more hesitant to move away from cards. In the UK, protections such as Section 75 chargeback rights remain a major reason why consumers prefer credit cards for higher-value or riskier purchases.

🟣 Open Banking is creating a new infrastructure battle. Merchants are unlikely to build direct integrations with dozens of banks themselves. Instead, providers such as TrueLayer and Payit by NatWest are competing to become the infrastructure layer connecting merchant checkouts to consumer banking apps. As Pay by Bank adoption grows, these providers increasingly resemble strategic payment infrastructure partners rather than simple Open Banking intermediaries.

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MORE PAYMENTS INSIGHTS

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🪪 ​Digital Identity Verification Market to Surpass $29bn by 2030, as LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Experian, and Thales Identified as Leaders [New Research]

🔒 ​How Claude Mythos Is Forcing a Rethink of Banking Cybersecurity [Blog]

🛒 ​What Adyen’s €750m Talon.One Deal Says About the Future of Commerce [Blog]

SUSTAINABILITY & SMART CITIES

UK Government Commits £46.5m to Advanced Air Mobility Sector​

The UK government has committed £46.5 million towards accelerating the country’s advanced air mobility sector, as it pushes to enable commercial flying taxi operations and wider autonomous drone services by 2028.

The funding package, delivered through the Civil Aviation Authority, includes £26.5 million aimed at reducing regulatory friction and modernising approval processes for commercial drone operations. Another £20.5 million will fund a new drone identification system designed to help authorities track and identify rogue or illegal drones in real time.

Distilled…

🟣 Regulation, not technology, is the biggest bottleneck. The technology underpinning commercial drones and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft has advanced rapidly in recent years; meaning that the challenge now is integrating these systems into existing airspace safely and at scale. Much of the UK funding is therefore focused less on aircraft themselves and more on regulatory infrastructure and airspace management.

🟣 The real opportunity is industrial, not consumer. Although flying taxis dominate headlines, our latest figures predict global advanced air mobility service revenue to reach $1.3 billion by 2028, with much of this growth driven by enterprise and public sector drone deployments rather than passenger-focused services. The NHS’ growing use of drones for pathology sample transport highlights how these deployments are already moving beyond pilot stages.

🟣 Public trust may determine how quickly the market grows. One of the more significant aspects of the announcement is the investment into Hybrid Remote ID systems for drones. Creating what ministers described as a “numberplate system for the skies” signals how future drone ecosystems are likely to become far more tightly regulated and trackable. Without that visibility, large-scale commercial deployment may struggle to gain public acceptance.

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