How is 6G technology being shaped and developed globally?

Imagine a world where the boundaries between physical reality and digital space completely dissolve. An era where lifelike holograms can attend remote team meetings, interacting as seamlessly as if they were physically present.

Self-driving vehicles move intelligently on the streets, controlled not only by on-board sensors but also by perfect digital twins, constantly updated with data from the surrounding environment. This is no longer a science fiction scenario, but a vision shaping the next generation of mobile networks, 6G.

The rollout of 6G technology will be more than just a speed or latency improvement over 5G. It is expected to radically redefine the way we interact with technology, the environment around us, and even ourselves.

6G promises to usher in an era of ubiquitous artificial intelligence (AI), hyper-realistic extended reality (including virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality), and ubiquitously distributed Internet of Things (IoT), creating an unprecedented seamless and intelligent digital ecosystem.

China pioneers the race to develop 6G standards

While the successor standards of 5G are still in the development and finalization stage, the international community has been actively negotiating the regulatory standards for 6G. This is a strategic step to pave the way for large-scale commercial deployment by the end of this decade, estimated around 2030.

Standing out in this race, China has quickly asserted its pioneering position. By 2024, under the auspices of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), China has successfully established three important technology standards for 6G.

This shows the country’s initiative and long-term vision. Furthermore, the national development goals announced in March this year also include promoting the development of “future industries”, of which 6G technology is a top priority.

However, not all countries have shown the same initiative and enthusiasm for 6G as China. A major industry report published in China's Scientia Sinica Informationis magazine last year pointed out that “there are still obvious differences in the attitudes of different countries and regions towards 6G.”

The report, compiled by leading companies in China's telecommunications industry, including representatives from China Mobile Research Institute, Huawei Technologies, CICT Mobile, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and Southeast University, pointed out a clear divide.

Accordingly, telecom operators in Europe and the US are said to be “unwilling to accelerate 6G development” due to significant delays in 5G network deployment. This reflects a cautious attitude, perhaps due to investment pressure and profitability from existing infrastructure.

In contrast, telecom operators in countries that have been leading the way in 5G deployment, namely China, with the world’s largest number of 5G base stations, along with Japan and South Korea, have shown a significantly “more positive” attitude towards 6G. Their success and experience in 5G could be the driving force to push them further.

Meanwhile, operators in countries such as France, Italy and Germany are more “cautious” about their 6G development goals. The report notes that the key performance indicators (KPIs) proposed by these operators for 6G tend to be lower, suggesting a more reserved approach to technical ambitions.

Breakthrough applications promise to shape the 6G era

More than just an upgrade in speed and latency compared to 5G, 6G networks are expected to become the infrastructure platform for a completely new digital ecosystem, where communications, artificial intelligence and sensors are integrated into a unified, intelligent and instantly responsive network.

First of all, 6G will significantly improve the reliability and real-timeness of data transmission. Ultra-low latency (less than 1 millisecond) and ultra-high bandwidth will enable systems requiring high precision such as smart grids, remote surgery, or autonomous vehicle control to operate more smoothly, stably, and safely.

At the same time, 6G is designed with superior energy efficiency, significantly reducing the power consumption per gigabit of data, an important factor in the context of global green transition.

Another breakthrough of 6G lies in its ability to support advanced AI applications “on the network”. By integrating AI into the core network layer, 6G enables data processing and analysis right at the network edge (edge ​​computing), thereby paving the way for solutions such as smarter self-driving cars, more accurate collaborative robots and real-time AI services such as language translation, sentiment analysis or emergency situation recognition.

In addition, 6G is also the driving force to push the expansion of IoT to a new level. Smart transportation systems, real-time urban management, crop and environmental monitoring in digital agriculture, or personal health monitoring wearable devices will all operate more effectively when connected to a network that can handle millions of devices simultaneously with extremely low latency and high accuracy.

6G is not just a connection network, but also the backbone for a “fast-reflex” digital society, where every physical object can accurately reflect its state onto the digital space, be instantly analyzed and continuously optimized by AI.

How is the 6G network being "incubated" on the global technology map?

At the World Radio Conference 2023 (WRC‑23), the Radio Sector of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), ITU‑R, outlined the technical standards framework for 6G and aims to complete the standards set by 2030, paving the way for mass commercialization of this technology.

Besides ITU, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) – an alliance of standards organizations from China, Japan, the US, India, South Korea and Europe – has also integrated 6G into the roadmap for developing technical standards versions in the roadmap for developing next-generation mobile networks.

According to Swedish telecommunications group Ericsson, pre-commercial 6G testing could be deployed as early as 2028, while small laboratory-scale test models will appear a few years earlier.

Thus, although each country is pursuing its own roadmap, the success of 6G ultimately depends on consensus on frequency spectrum, protocols and operating regulations, because only by agreeing on a “common standard” can 6G connectivity become a reality on a global scale.