With the rapid rise in 5G penetration in China, discussions about 6G are on the table.
Huawei says it wants to start making 6G commercially available around 2030, in what may be the first time a Chinese tech giant has proposed a clear timeline for the commercialization of next-generation communications technology.
On April 12, Huawei held a global analyst conference. Xu Zhijun, Huawei's vice chairman and rotating chairman, mentioned this timeline when explaining Huawei's overall strategy at the conference.
In June 2020, Huawei entered into a strategic partnership agreement with China Unicom and Grandstar Cargo to jointly develop 6G connectivity. Huawei has also established a 6G R&D center in France.
In addition to Huawei, another Chinese communications giant, ZTE, has also been developing 6G. ZTE has said that the company's pre-research team is gradually overcoming various key 6G prototype technologies.
In response to investor questions on Dec. 28 last year, ZTE said again that the company has invested in 6G R&D and is actively engaging in exchanges and cooperation with industry peers.
China's 6G development is accelerating, driven by Huawei and ZTE.
Many local operators, equipment suppliers, terminal suppliers, and other interested companies have released 6G white papers and made some 6G layouts and predictions.
In November 2020, China launched an experimental 6G communication satellite, enabling the world's first terahertz wave space research and development. This makes China's 6G research a step further.
6G communication is no longer limited to terrestrial communication. As a result, terrestrial communication networks will be connected to communication satellites for global signal coverage on land, in the sea, and in the air. At that time, there was a smooth signal in areas off the beaten path such as the ocean, deserts, and deep mountains.
Compared to 5G, 6G will be 50 times faster and latency will be greatly reduced. This will also lead to further development of telemedicine and tele-education.
