China poised to kick off 6G R&D this year, officials say
13 November, 2018
China will kick off extensive 6G research this year, said Su Xin, head of the wireless technology working group at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, The Paper reported.
At present, 4G technology is applied in most areas and 5G will soon be put on the market. Insiders think it is commonplace for industry to launch the R&D of next generation communication technology far in advance, as it takes ten years — a generation of technology — to go from R&D to commercial use.
Theoretically, the download speed of 6G technology could reach 1 terabit per second — a data transmission rate roughly 1,000 times faster than elite services such as Google Fibre.
It is expected that the 6G R&D will hit high gear in 2020 and be put into commercial use in 2030.
In addition to China, the United States, Russia, the European Union and other countries and regions are also carrying out 6G conceptual design and R&D work.