A pioneer team of Chinese telecom engineers claims to have established the world’s inaugural field test network for 6G communication and intelligent integration, as detailed by China Daily. Despite 6G not being standardized yet, this network shows considerable improvements in key communication areas like capacity, coverage, and efficiency, as per the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications team. Remarkably, the experimental network demonstrates that semantic communication can achieve future 6G transmission capabilities using existing 4G infrastructure.
This network serves as a research platform for institutions to conduct theoretical research and verify candidate 6G technologies. The project also aims to reduce the research entry barriers, making it accessible for more parties to join the 6G exploration.
China envisions the commercialization of 6G technology by 2030, with hopes to set the technology standards around 2025. Wang Zhiqin, head of China’s 6G promotion team and vice president of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, highlighted that China has already begun 6G experiments and is researching system architecture and technical solutions.
“In terms of 6G development, all nations are at the early stage of technological research and have not yet formed a unified standard in 6G network building and key technology,” Wang said. He also noted that 6G-related research has led to new applications, such as combining communication with sensitivity, artificial intelligence, and massive Internet of Things through integrated satellites and terrestrial mobile communication.
Last year, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) allocated spectrum in the 6 GHz frequency band for 5G and 6G services. This allocation aims to leverage the 6 GHz band’s coverage and capacity advantages, facilitating future deployments of both 5G and 6G systems.
MIIT commented that the allocation of the 6 GHz band is “conducive to stabilizing the expectations of the 5G/6G industry,” underscoring its strategic importance for the next-generation telecommunications landscape.
