China completes first phase of 6G technology trials: ministry

China has organized and conducted 6G technology trials for four consecutive years. The first phase of 6G technology trials has now been completed, yielding over 300 advances in key technological areas. The first phase refers to the key technology trial stage, which defines the main technical directions of 6G, CCTV reported on Thursday, citing the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

6G will be the most important next-generation comprehensive digital information network infrastructure globally over the next decade. It will achieve integrated innovation in communications, sensing, computing, intelligence and other technologies, said the CCTV report.

The targets of 6G services will expand from people, machines, and goods to intelligent agents, while the service space will extend from ground-based to integrated space-air-ground coverage, realizing the vision of intelligent interconnection of everything and digital twins, said the report.

A concept photo of 6G technology Illustration: VCG

"We will continue to strengthen research on key core technologies and integrated technical solutions, and advance technical research and development (R&D), standard development, test verification and application cultivation in an integrated manner, laying a solid foundation for 6G standardization and industrialization," Zhang Yunming, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology, was quoted as saying.

China's 6G technology trials are divided into three phases: the first phase is the key technology trial stage, which defines the main technical directions of 6G; the second phase is the technical solution trial stage, which will develop 6G prototypes targeting typical scenarios and performance metrics; and the third phase advances system networking trials, which will develop pre-commercial 6G equipment and conduct testing of key 6G products.

Back in April, the MIIT said that it would accelerate the R&D, standard formulation, pilot testing and industrial implementation of 6G technology, strengthen breakthroughs in integrated technologies such as communication, sensing, intelligence and computing, and proactively plan and cultivate the application industry ecosystem for 6G.

6G was included in China's development plan for the next five years.

"Forward-looking plans should be put in place for industries of the future. We need to explore diverse technology roadmaps, typical application scenarios, feasible business models, and market regulation rules and work to foster new drivers of economic growth such as quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen and nuclear fusion power, brain-computer interfaces, embodied artificial intelligence (AI), and 6G mobile communications," said the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) for National Economic and Social Development, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

(Global Times)