China to formulate 6G industry development plan, seek breakthroughs

China will formulate an industry development plan to promote research and innovation of 6G mobile technologies, Jin Zhuanglong, minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), said on Wednesday, sending a clear message of the nation’s determination to lead the trend of the cutting-edge technology.

Amid the US’ technology decoupling push, 6G development will keep China at the forefront of the technology’s advance in which the telecommunications industry is a core, experts said, adding that China has the competitive advantage in the field in terms of technology capability and potential application scenarios.

Speaking at a regular press briefing of the State Council Information Office on Wednesday, Guo said that the ministry will formulate an action plan to comprehensively promote the research and development of 6G technology.

“We also encourage local governments to try this first and speed up the layout of future industries,” the minister said.

The deployment of other frontier fields such as humanoid robots, the metaverse and quantum technology will also be accelerated.

The construction of China’s 5G network is advancing steadily, and the network coverage capability continues to improve.

A statistical bulletin of the communications industry in 2022 issued by the MIIT showed that the number of 5G base stations reached 2.312 million last year, accounting for more than 60 percent of the world.

The solid foundation of 5G applications makes it possible for China to continue to lead in the development of the next-generation technology standards for broadband networks, experts said.

As a national strategy, 6G has been at the core of China’s efforts for technological breakthroughs, given its wide industry applications.

6G technology enables the better integration of networks among the Earth, the atmosphere and space to make communication faster and easier, Ma Jihua, a veteran telecommunication industry analyst, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Satellite navigation, distant oceanic farming and autonomous driving are potential areas where 6G technology can be adopted.

The 6G development push comes amid a growing need for technology advancement amid the US’ escalating technology blockage against China, experts said. Despite the external disruption, experts said that there should be no concern about its impact on China’s 6G technology development.

China is already taking the lead over the US in 5G in terms of the technology application and industry scale, which provides more possibilities for the development of the next-generation network, Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Beijing-based Information Consumption Alliance, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Xiang also said that the communication system has little requirement for high-end chips, but operates mostly on the 28-nanometer chips that China has already developed.

“This is the field where we must take and sustain a leadership role,” Xiang said.

Driven by the demand for economic growth and industry upgrading, especially amid the rising decoupling by the US, China has ramped up efforts on 6G technology for broadband networks.

A market research and analysis report for 6G released by market analysis firm Market Research Future suggested that nearly half of the world’s 6G patent applications came from China, the largest in the world.

The report predicted that by 2040, the global 6G market will reach $340 billion, with a compound annual growth rate of over 58 percent between 2030 and 2040.

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

Xiang said that China will likely develop a clear 6G vision this year and initiative its standardization by 2025. GlobalTimes