China Mobile Launches 6G White Book with Global Partners

China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile carrier, has partnered with multinational telecom carriers and equipment makers to launch the latest white book on 6G requirements and design considerations. The project, led by 16 telecom operators including China Mobile, involves 23 equipment manufacturers and 13 research institutions.

The white book outlines the path for digital inclusion, energy efficiency, environmental sustainability, and flexible deployment for the next frontier in wireless technology. Additionally, the book proposes 6G system architecture and design considerations, as well as new capability requirements for future use cases.

The move is part of China Mobile’s broader push to have a bigger say in drafting future global standards for 6G. The technology is expected to have far lower latency, higher speeds, and more bandwidth than 5G. Yi Zhiling, the chief scientist at the China Mobile Research Institute, has stated that the next three to five years will be crucial in identifying the necessary 6G technologies and laying a solid foundation for the industry.

China has already established the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group, a flagship platform that promotes 6G and international cooperation, and will speed up the R&D of 6G technology, according to Jin Zhuanglong, minister of Industry and information technology.

The group expects the commercialization of 6G around 2030, and the 6G network will realize deep integration of the physical and virtual worlds, and build a new world featuring the intelligent connection of everything.

The white paper issued by the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group suggests that 6G will integrate with advanced computing, big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. Wen Ku, secretary-general of the China Communications Standards Association, emphasized that balancing the use of 5G and R&D of 6G is important, and long-term strategies are needed to develop both technologies. “Advancing the use of 5G is like building a good bridge and road for 6G,” Wen said.

The European Union, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and other countries and regions have all initiated research on 6G, according to Wen Ku. China is at the global forefront of 5G development, with more than 2.54 million 5G base stations as of February and over 575 million mobile subscribers of 5G. The country is set to build 600,000 5G base stations this year, as announced by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

China has also made progress in stepping up global cooperation on 6G. In June, the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group inked an agreement on 6G with the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA), which is the voice of European industry and research into next-generation networks and services.

The white book on 6G requirements and design considerations was officially unveiled last month by the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, a global association of telecom operators. The move is part of a broader push by China Mobile to have a bigger say in drafting the future global standards for 6G.

According to the white book, 6G will integrate with advanced computing, big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. The world expects to see the commercialization of 6G around 2030, and the 6G network will realize deep integration of the physical and virtual worlds and build a new world featuring the intelligent connection of everything.

The project is led by 16 telecom operators, including China Mobile, with 23 equipment manufacturers and 13 research institutions also taking part. Chinese companies have worked with international organizations to establish standards for 3G, 4G, and 5G technologies in the past.

They should increase their partnerships and cooperation with foreign counterparts to promote the formation of globally unified 6G standards, according to Yi Zhiling, chief scientist at the China Mobile Research Institute.

Jin Zhuanglong, minister of industry and information technology, the nation’s top industry regulator, said earlier this month that China had already established the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group, a flagship platform in China promoting 6G and international cooperation. China will speed up the R&D of 6G technology, he said.

Wen Ku, secretary-general of the China Communications Standards Association, said that while the European Union, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and other countries and regions have all initiated research on 6G, it is important to balance the use of 5G and R&D of 6G.

Currently, China is at the global forefront of 5G development. The country had set up more than 2.54 million 5G base stations as of February, with mobile subscribers of 5G surpassing 575 million. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has said that China will build 600,000 5G base stations this year.

China has also made progress in stepping up global cooperation on 6G. In June, the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group inked an agreement on 6G with the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA), which is the voice of European industry and research into next-generation networks and services.

In conclusion, China Mobile’s partnership with dozens of global telecom operators and equipment makers to unveil the latest white book on 6G requirements and design considerations is part of China’s push to have a bigger say in drafting the future global standards for 6G. With the commercialization of 6G expected around 2030, China is speeding up its R&D of 6G technology and increasing partnerships and cooperation with foreign counterparts to promote the formation of globally unified 6G standards.