6G and its importance

China is leading the race in 6G, currently ahead of US and Europe 

Sixth-generation wireless communications will change the way we interact with the world but not all countries are embracing it. China is at the forefront of the global race to develop sixth-generation (6G) technology, a step ahead of the current 5G standard. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has been involved in establishing three of China's 6G technological standards. They were set last year and are part of China's national development goals for this year, which aim to promote "future industries" such as 6G tech. But, not all countries are as excited about this next-gen wireless communication system as China. Envision a future where the lines between the physical and digital realms are indistinguishable, a world where holographic representations attend team meetings and autonomous vehicles navigate city streets guided by digital twins. The potential of 6G technology goes beyond just improving cellular and internet capabilities. It promises a future where virtual avatars attend meetings, and self-driving cars roam the streets of cities with the help of digital twins. The deployment of sixth-generation technology for wireless communications, or 6G, will not only significantly advance current cellular and internet capabilities, but will also redefine how we interact with technology and the world around us. While the successor to the 5G wireless standard is still under development, the international community is negotiating regulatory standards which will pave the way for its commercial deployment by the end of this decade.

China leads in the development of 6G, the US and Europe are lagging behind. China is actively implementing 6G, setting technological standards. The US and Europe are in no hurry to develop 6G due to the slow deployment of 5G. A new generation of mobile networks, 6G, is already beginning to take shape. The international community is negotiating regulatory standards. But there are obvious differences in attitudes towards the sixth generation of mobile communications in different regions of the world. China has already made its mark, establishing three technological standards for 6G in 2024 under the auspices of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). And this year’s national development goals, released in March, included cultivating “future industries” like 6G technology. Not all countries are as positive about 6G as China. An industrial report published in the Chinese journal Scientia Sinica Informationis last year noted that there were “still obvious differences in the attitudes of different countries and regions towards 6G”. While China is making strides in 6G development, other nations aren't as optimistic. A report drafted by leading figures in China's telecommunications sector, noted that European and American operators are hesitant to pursue 6G due to their slower implementation of 5G.

“European and American operators are not willing to develop 6G due to the relatively lagging 5G deployment,” said the report, which was drafted by the leading players in China’s telecommunications sector. They included representatives from the China Mobile Research Institute, Huawei Technologies, CICT Mobile, the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and Southeast University. According to the report, telecommunications operators in the countries that led the deployment of 5G, China, which has the most 5G base stations in the world, as well as Japan and South Korea, are “more positive” about 6G. Meanwhile, operators in countries like France, Italy and Germany are more “conservative” about their development goals. Operators in these countries have proposed lower key capability indicator suggestions for 6G, the report said. China's national development goals for this year show its commitment to future industries such as 6G technology. The country is developing standards and is likely investing in related R&D activities, aiming to advance this advanced wireless communication system. This ambitious plan highlights China's determination to lead in the global tech race, even as other countries have had mixed reactions.

A report drafted by China’s key industry players says that countries like China, Japan and South Korea, all early adopters of 5G, are “more positive” about the next generation of wireless communications technology. Will this more conservative approach to the proposals will help set 6G standards mean that less ambitious performance metrics could be established for the technology. In the emergence and development of 6G, the sixth generation of mobile communications, which is expected to be introduced in 2026-2030. The sixth generation of wireless communication 6G is expected to change the way we interact in the world, and not all countries are accepting it confidently enough. Imagine a future where the boundaries between the physical and digital realms are indistinguishable, a world where holographic representations attend team meetings and autonomous vehicles navigate city streets under the guidance of digital twins.    

While earlier generations of wireless technology like 2G and 3G helped to expand communication through voice and text, the 5G era has set out to connect complex networks and automation systems. Since 5G was deployed by mobile operators in 2019, it has allowed us to communicate in a faster, more optimised way. In particular, it has made possible innovations in virtual and augmented reality, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence (AI). The deployment of sixth-generation technology for wireless communications, or 6G, will not only significantly expand current cellular and Internet capabilities, but also redefine our interaction with technology and the world around us. While the successor to the 5G wireless standard is still under development, the international community is negotiating regulatory standards that will pave the way for its commercial implementation by the end of this decade. The next generation of communications technology seeks to fuse the human and digital worlds to allow for more intelligent and innovative systems in combination with other technologies.

In the first instance, 6G will significantly improve on 5G’s current capabilities, with more reliable and lower latency communication that will improve the operation of power grids, telemedicine and navigation, all while being more energy efficient. The technology can also support more advanced AI-powered applications, leading to an expansion in the use of Internet of Things devices for smart cities and intelligent transport systems, as well as health and agriculture monitoring. While different countries are working on their own research and development, the deployment of 6G will require some global consensus on operational standards and regulations. The ITU, an agency under the United Nations, is seeking to set 6G standards by 2030 so the technology can be deployed commercially by the end of this decade. The ITU sets international standards for telecommunications including satellite, radio and internet services. Industry and university research circles are conducting studies on 6G architecture and will submit proposals to the agency as part of this process.

Technologies that once only belonged to science fiction films will be deployed on a larger scale, including holographic communications and digital twin models, an exact virtual representation of an object or system updated in real-time. Digital twins could be widely deployed in factories, to map cities for more precise navigation services, and even be used to make digital twins of humans which could be applied in medicine. Another standards body for global communications technology is the Third Generation Partnership Project, which includes standards organisations from around the world including China, Japan, US, South Korea and Europe. According to Swedish telecoms company Ericsson, pre-commercial trials for 6G could take place from 2028, with proof of concepts appearing even earlier.