China Mobile also said it plans to conduct in-orbit experiments based on these test satellites
China Mobile, the world’s largest telecom operator by mobile subscribers, said it has successfully launched what it claims to be the world’s first satellite to test 6G architecture, Chinese newspaper China Daily reported.
6G has yet to be formally standardized, but research and development efforts are underway around the world.
According to the report, the launch marks a step forward in the carrier’s efforts to explore integrated space and ground communication technology.
The low-earth orbit test satellite hosts a distributed autonomous architecture for 6G, 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.
The report also noted that the satellite was set at an orbit height of approximately 500 kilometers, adding that these experimental satellites offer advantages such as low latency and high data transfer rates compared with high-orbit satellites.
China Mobile also said it plans to conduct in-orbit experiments based on these test satellites, accelerating the integration and development of space-to-ground technology industries.
China aims to start commercializing 6G technology by 2030 and expects that the standard-setting for the technology will be achieved around 2025, Wang Zhiqin, the head of China’s 6G promotion team and vice president of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, recently said.
Wang noted that China began 6G technological experiments in 2022 and has been carrying research on 6G system architecture and technical solutions during 2023.
According to Wang, 6G-related research has opened new application scenarios which include combining communication and sensitivity, combining communication and artificial intelligence and mass Internet of Things based on integrated satellites and terrestrial mobile communication.
Meanwhhile, Zhang Yunming, vice minister of the MIIT, recently said that the country needed to cultivate the 6G application ecosystem in advance, with the aim of accelerating the integrated development of next-generation wireless technology with 5G and new technologies such as XR and robots to lay a solid foundation for 6G applications.
In June 2023, the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said that the Chinese government allocated spectrum in the 6 GHz frequency band for 5G and 6G services. The 6 GHz spectrum is the only high-quality resource with large bandwidth in the mid-band, taking into account its coverage and capacity advantages, the ministry said, noting that the 6 GHz range is particularly suitable for the deployment of 5G systems or 6G systems in the future.
MIIT noted that the allocation of the 6 GHz band at this time is “conducive to stabilizing the expectations of the 5G/6G industry.”
