China’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) has announced that a national 6G research and development working group and general expert group to promote 6G’s development has been set up. Last year, it was announced that the country would begin R&D work in 2020 with a commercial launch taking place in 2030 so it seems as though development is at least a few months ahead of schedule.
The launch of the work was announced at a recent meeting hosted by MOST and brought together several organisations including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The country is not delaying in its work, most countries around the world, including China, are only just launching 5G networks and devices that operate on 5G are still a bit thin on the ground.
The Vice Minister of Science and Technology, Wang Xi, said that the country is still in the initial stages of the R&D process where it is exploring solutions, key indicators, and what role the technology will fill. As this initial work progresses, new definitions and specifications will be defined for firms to work to. He also said that the country “will promote the development of 6G with efficiency and openness.” This could be in response to doubts cast on Huawei equipment being used in other countries" 5G networks.
We’re still in the initial steps on the road to 6G but as time goes on the applications which 6G can be used for will be made more clear. 5G is already expected to create highly connected cities so it’ll be very interesting to see what 6G unlocks.
Source: CGTN