ISLAMABAD: China is fast advancing its ambitious program to become the world's first major economy to commercialize 6G technology, widening its lead in next-generation telecommunications as the United States and parts of Europe continue to focus on expanding existing 5G networks.
In a breakthrough, a Chinese aerospace company, Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co, recently announced the successful transmission of 6G satellite data to Earth at a speed of 100 gigabytes per second, using laser communication technology.
According to the company, the speed is fast enough to download around 10 full-length movies in just one second.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has also launched a nationwide pilot program for 6G innovation and development, bringing together provincial governments, research institutions, universities and technology firms.
The initiative aims to accelerate research in areas such as artificial intelligence integration, satellite internet, wireless sensing, advanced chips, operating systems and next-generation network equipment.
Beijing has approved trial spectrum in the 6GHz band for 6G testing. It plans to develop independent 6G technical solutions by 2029, laying the groundwork for commercial deployment before the end of the decade.
Industry experts say China currently enjoys a significant advantage over many Western countries.
6G in USA and Europe
While China, Japan and South Korea are aggressively investing in 6G research, several European telecom operators have adopted a more cautious approach due to slower returns from 5G investments.
Analysts also note that the United States remains active in 6G research but has yet to match China's scale of infrastructure deployment and coordinated national strategy.
Experts believe 6G could deliver speeds and reliability between 10 and 100 times greater than 5G while enabling transformative technologies such as holographic communications, digital twins, autonomous systems and intelligent industrial networks.
With extensive government support and the world's largest 5G ecosystem already in place, China appears well-positioned to shape the future global standards of 6G communications.
What is 6G?
6G, or sixth-generation wireless technology, is the successor to 5G and is expected to become commercially available around 2030.
It is designed to deliver data speeds 10 to 100 times faster than 5G, with ultra-low latency, greater reliability and significantly improved network capacity.
Unlike 5G, which mainly connects smartphones, devices, and industrial systems, 6G aims to seamlessly integrate artificial intelligence, satellite communications, sensing technologies, and cloud computing into a single network.
This will enable advanced applications such as holographic communication, real-time digital twins, autonomous transportation, immersive extended reality (XR), smart factories, and globally connected intelligent systems across land, sea, air, and space.
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