China is already planning a 6G launch after building the world’s largest 5G network

The Chinese Academy of Information and Communication Technology and Liu Lihong, Deputy Minister of Industry and Information Technology, said China has built the world’s largest 5G network, and now the plans have started for the 6G network.

China is already planning a 6G launch after building the world’s largest 5G network

At the moment, a total of 718,000 5G base stations have been built in the country. Yu Xiaohui, vice president of the China Academy of Information and Communication Technology, said that the large-scale construction of 5G networks will take place over the next four years. From 2025 to 2028, a period of improving the mastered technologies is in plans.

In addition, China already plans to roll out 6G networks in 2029. As of the end of November, 519 device models have been launched on the market that supports fifth-generation networks. The Academy of Information and Communications Technology predicts that more than 3,200 5G device models will be available on the market in 2025, which will result in tens of millions of new network subscribers.

Last November, it was announced the creation of a National 6G Research and Development Promotion Working Group and a Common Expert Group to promote 6G research and development.

Experts predict that 6G will be able to outperform 5G by 10-100 times in performance; and 6G’s peak transmission speed will reach from 100 Gbps to 1 Tbps.

Google and Apple join 6G group – does not want to be behind China again

The development of 5G is moving swiftly and most countries and regions already have plans for 5G. Some top manufacturers already have a team looking at what the next-generation network (6G) would offer. One thing is certain, the U.S. will race China to the finish line this time. Recall that China has already sent a satellite into space to test 6G signals. This network (6G) should be 100 to 500 times faster than 5G. However, do not expect it any time soon, it is almost a decade away.

The Chinese were the earliest to release 5G devices. The likes of Google and Apple only recently released 5G devices. Nevertheless, they do not hope to be back-benchers again. The two tech giants (Google and Apple) recently joined the “the Next G Alliance”. This is a North American trade group that will hold its first conference next week. ATIS (Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions), a North American trade association leads “the Next G Alliance”.

Apple and Google join other manufacturing giants on “the Next G Alliance”

According to reports. ATIS has previously worked on secure supply chains, hearing aids, robocalls, and more. The major target of this group is to “advance North American mobile technology leadership in 6G and beyond over the next decade while building on the long-term evolution of 5G”. Apple and Google are not alone in this group. Other major manufacturers include Charter Communications, Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, Keysight Technologies, LG Electronics, Mavenir, MITRE, and VMware.

In a publication early this year, the Next G Alliance wrote, “While the world is exploring opportunities that will light the path to 6G, the US must take timely and critical action to ensure unquestioned leadership in 6G innovation and development”. The CEO of ATIS, Susan Miller adds, “Old models of leadership are not going to play in this new future in light of the geopolitical landscape. If the US is really going to assert its leadership, it’s going to have to act in a new way”.

With the current political situation in the U.S., the situation may change. The change here does not necessarily mean a positive change for China. Irrespective of who rules the U.S., they would want the U.S. to be ahead of China in terms of major technology. We will have to keep our fingers crossed and watch as events unfold.