The Chinese government is to put major focus on 6G technologies, according to Chinese state newspaper Global Times. It reckons China has a competitive advantage in cellular because of its technology capability and application scenarios, said the report.
An official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said the country will formulate a specific 6G R&D action plan, and also encourage local authorities to accelerate R&D activities around 6G-enabled industrial applications. Research into “humanoid robots”, the metaverse, and quantum technology will also be accelerated, the report added.
Operators in China have been rapidly expanding 5G infrastructure at a national level and have developed several applications for verticals. The latest government data suggests Chinese carriers had deployed a total of 2.3 million 5G base stations as of the end of last year, accounting for more than 60 percent of the global total.
Last year, China’s IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group, which promotes 6G R&D and international cooperation, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 6G with the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA), which represents European industry and research for next-generation networks and services.
Under the terms of the agreement, both organizations announced plans to further promote cooperation on 6G systems and networks.
The objective of the country’s 6G Promotion Group is to gather China’s industrial and academic research to promote 6G in a wide range of areas, including at a technological level and also in terms or economic and social impacts.
6G systems are expected to be launched commercially by 2030; the first phase of standardization will likely start from 2025, leading to the first 6G specification in 3GPP Release 21 by 2028. However, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT recently unveiled plans to commercialize an initial 6G network service in 2028.
