The countdown to the 6G era

In 2019, 5G was officially commercialized, reshaping the mobile Internet ecosystem with its ultra-high speed and low latency features. Nowadays, the research and development of 6G has entered a critical stage. According to the plan of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the 6G technical standards will be completed and formulated by 2030, and the commercialization process will be initiated simultaneously. Wang Zhiqin, vice president of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, disclosed that research on 6G technical standards will be initiated in 2025 and the first version of the technical specification will be completed in 2029. This indicates that the implementation of 6G is now in the countdown stage.


6G Technology Progress: Global Race, China Takes the lead

• Standard formulation timeline
  In 2023, ITU completed the definition of the 6G vision, clearly defining three core directions: "immersive communication, ultra-large-scale connectivity, and the integration of artificial intelligence and communication".
  From 2025 to 2027, the world will enter a period of key technological research and development for 6G. China, the United States, the European Union, Japan, South Korea and other countries have all established special funds to support research and development.
  By 2030, ITU will output 6G technical specifications and have the capability for large-scale commercial use.

• China's 6G layout: Policy, Capital and technology are all in action
  Policy support: The 2025 government work report included 6G in the future industry cultivation system for the first time, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology clearly set the goal of "commercializing 6G by 2030".
  Capital investment: By 2025, the total global investment in 6G research and development will reach 32 billion US dollars, with China accounting for more than 30%. Beijing Yizhuang has established a special fund to provide up to 30 million yuan in matching support to enterprises engaged in key 6G technology research and development.
  Technological breakthrough
  Terahertz communication: China Information Technology Group has achieved a real-time wireless transmission rate of 6G terahertz exceeding 100Gbps, which is 100 times higher than that of 5G.
  Intelligent metasurface: Dynamically regulate electromagnetic waves, increase the coverage radius of base stations by 30%, and reduce the cost of a single station by 25%.
  Integration of air, land, space and sea: Huawei has completed the initiation of 16 3GPP NTN (non-terrestrial network) standards, supporting seamless integration of satellite and terrestrial networks.
  

6G vs 5G: Comprehensive Performance Upgrade, Unveiling the Disruptive Differences

Compared with 5G, 6G has achieved a qualitative leap in multiple key indicators:

• Peak rate: The peak rate of 5G is 10 to 20Gbps, while the goal of 6G is to reach 1Tbps (1000 GBPS), which will be 50 to 100 times faster than 5G.
  Latency: The air interface latency of 5G is 1ms, while the end-to-end latency of 6G will be controlled within 5ms, reducing the latency by 90%.
  Connection density: 5G supports millions of devices per km² for connection, while 6G increases this figure to tens of millions per km², enhancing the connection capacity by tenfold.
  Coverage: 5G mainly relies on ground base stations, while 6G achieves seamless coverage throughout the entire area through a combination of ground, satellite and airborne networks.
  Positioning accuracy: The positioning accuracy of 5G is at the meter level, while that of 6G will reach the centimeter level, with an accuracy improvement of 100 times.

• Key technological breakthroughs
  Terahertz frequency band: Utilizing the 0.1-10THz high-frequency band, the bandwidth resources are more than ten times that of 5G millimeter waves.
  Ai-native architecture: Dynamic scheduling of network resources, fault prediction accuracy reaching 95%, and energy efficiency improved by 50%.
  Integrated communication, sensing and computing: Deep integration of communication, sensing and computing, supporting real-time environmental modeling and decision-making.

6G application scenarios: From science fiction to reality, Reshaping Future life

• Consumer end: Immersive experience revolution
  Holographic communication: Through 6G+ holographic projection, it enables "face-to-face" interaction across different locations with a latency of less than 0.1ms.
  The Metaverse: Tencent's 6G metaverse platform supports 1 billion users online simultaneously, with a spatial computing latency of less than 5ms.
  Remote surgery: Doctors control the robot via 6G network, with a delay of less than 0.1ms and an accuracy of up to 0.1mm.

• Industrial end: Intelligent manufacturing and urban management
  Smart factory: 6G connects tens of millions of devices, achieving full life cycle management of equipment and increasing predictive maintenance efficiency by 60%.
  Autonomous driving: L5-level autonomous driving relies on 6G microsecond-level latency, and vehicle-road coordination technology reduces traffic accident rates by 90%.
  Digital Twin: COMAC builds a digital twin of its aircraft, reducing the research and development cycle by 50%.

• Social end: Emergency communication and global coverage
  Satellite Internet: China plans to launch 1,296 low-orbit satellites by 2030, reducing communication latency in remote areas from seconds to milliseconds.
  Disaster relief: 6G drone base stations support coverage within a radius of 100 kilometers, and the emergency communication response time in disaster-stricken areas has been shortened to 15 minutes.
  Marine communication: Huawei's 6G underwater repeater enables real-time data transmission at a depth of 3,000 meters, supporting the development of intelligent oil and gas fields.
  

Challenges and Prospects: How Will 6G Change the World?

Although 6G has a promising future, it still needs to break through three major bottlenecks:

• Technical bottleneck: The design of terahertz devices is complex, and the problem of signal attenuation in the high-frequency band needs to be overcome.
  Commercialization path: It is necessary to balance the high R&D costs and user demands, and explore the integration model of B-end (such as industrial Internet) and C-end (such as metaverse).
  International competition: In the global 6G patent layout, China accounts for 40.3%, but the United States is competing for dominance through industrial advantages such as GPU and operating systems. It is necessary to strengthen international cooperation.

6G, ushering in a new era of "intelligent interconnection of all things"

6G is not only an upgrade of communication technology, but also the cornerstone of the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy. By 2030, when 6G is officially commercialized, it will reshape various fields such as healthcare, education, transportation and manufacturing, and drive society towards a new era of "intelligent interconnection of all things". As China Information Technology Group stated: "6G is not a simple extension of 5G, but a qualitative engine for communication and perception, intelligence, and space." " The future is here, and 6G will redefine our world.