Nation aims for beachhead in 6G development battle

Ready for liftoff

Huang Yuhong, general manager of the China Mobile Research Institute, said that"6G is expected to be commercially available around 2030 in China, and 3GPP (an international organization for telecom technology development) is expected to start 6G standardization in 2025. As the day is drawing near, 6G R&D has now reached a key breakthrough period."

China Mobile, the world's largest telecom carrier by mobile phone subscribers, successfully launched the world's first satellite to test 6G architecture in February, marking a milestone in its efforts to explore integrated space and ground communication technology.

The low-Earth orbit test satellite is the first to employ 6G design architecture, which was jointly developed by China Mobile and the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Innovation Academy for Microsatellites.

The system, utilizing domestic software and hardware, supports in-orbit software reconstruction, flexible deployment of core network functions and automated management, enhancing the efficiency and reliability of the in-orbit operation of the satellite core network, China Mobile said.

Orbiting at a height of approximately 500 kilometers, these satellites offer advantages such as low latency and high data transfer rates compared with high-orbit satellites. As a crucial platform for future integrated space and ground networks, low-earth orbit satellites can address telecom signal coverage gaps in terrestrial mobile networks, providing higher bandwidth satellite internet services globally, according to China Mobile.

China Mobile said it plans to conduct in-orbit experiments based on these test satellites, accelerating the integration and development of space-to-ground technology industries.

"In order to realize 6G commercialization by 2030, the base stations for forming 6G networks should be ready around 2029," Huang added. The global 6G market is predicted to reach $340 billion by 2040, with a compound annual growth rate of over 28 percent between 2031 and 2040, according to a report by the market analysis firm Market Research Future.

The Asia-Pacific region, especially China, where more attention to satellite communications and related technological improvements takes place, will lead the trend, the report said.

China Unicom, another major Chinese telecom, is also working hard to explore key potential technologies for 6G. The company expects to complete technical research and explore early application scenarios for 6G technology by 2025.

China Unicom said it will promote close collaboration between the industry, the academic community and research institutes to carry out collaborative innovation in 6G unified network architecture and technologies.

"In the past, Chinese companies worked with international organizations to establish standards for 3G, 4G and 5G technologies," said Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Information Consumption Alliance, a telecom industry association. "They should enhance their partnerships and cooperation with foreign counterparts to promote the formation of globally unified 6G standards."

Crucial upgrade

As the commercial application of 6G is still years away, Chinese telecom companies are also working hard to develop the 5G-Advanced, or 5G-A technology, which is a crucial upgrade to the 5G network in functionality and coverage and paves the way for key 6G technologies. For instance, 5G-A features 10-gigabit peak downlink speeds to meet increasingly diverse service requirements.

Wang Tao, executive director of Huawei Technologies Co, said over 60 telecom operators and partners globally have announced the arrival of 5G-A this commercial year. Over 30 devices supporting 5G-A are set to launch this year, marking a significant milestone in the digital era.

Wang said that 5G-A is a path for the industry that protects existing investments, while creating new business opportunities. He called for continuous enhancement of 5G-A technology to sustain the health and vitality of the 5G industry and to realize the vision of 5G transforming society.

As 5G-A accelerates its commercial deployment, AI brings new opportunities for the telecommunications industry. Wang said that"2024 marks the convergence of the 5G-A commercial year and the AI-to-device year, heralding the mobile AI era where intelligent services become ubiquitous".