China ‘plans to roll out 6G networks in 2030’

China plans to roll out 6G networks in 2030 and the new technology is expected to be up to 100 times faster than 5G, the country’s leading telecommunication expert has revealed.

Beijing this month kick-started research and development of the next-generation mobile internet connection.

The state-led initiatives were launched just days after superfast 5G networks became available to Chinese citizens. 

Web users in China can begin enjoying 6G networks in about 10 years, according to a 6G researcher. Beijing this month kick-started the research and development of the technology 

‘6G will largely enter commercial stage at around 2030. [This] is a provisional judgement based on law of development, but is not certain,’ said Yang Yifeng, a member of the country’s 6G-developing team. 

‘With the application of development of technology, many technologies will be used ahead of schedule during inter-generational transitions,’ Mr Yang added as he spoke to Chinese news outlet The Paper. 

Mr Yang said the team would not rule out the possibility of launching 6G before 2030 should they find ‘advanced’ methods to fast-forward the process.

He stressed that experts were still in an early stage of ‘exploring’ the technology, but expected the speed of 6G to be 10 to 100 times faster than that of 5G. 

A staff member shows download speed of Huawei's 5G-powered Mate 20 X at a store in Hangzhou, China, on August 16. The company's founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei has claimed that his staff have been developing the 5G and 6G technologies simultaneously

A staff member shows download speed of Huawei’s 5G-powered Mate 20 X at a store in Hangzhou, China, on August 16. The company’s founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei has claimed that his staff have been developing the 5G and 6G technologies simultaneously

China officially commenced its research and development of 6G technology on November 3, according to a government announcement. 

The Chinese Technology Bureau selected 37 telecommunication specialists from universities, institutions and corporations to form a panel, which is tasked with laying out the development of 6G and proving the scientific feasibility of it.

Wang Xi, deputy minister of the Technology Bureau, said that the bureau was set to work with the experts to design a specific research plan for 6G and carry out preliminary research. 

Huawei, the Chinese telecommunication giant, has also started its own research of 6G, according to its CEO Ren Zhengfei. 

Mr Ren, 75, expects his firm to be a global leader of 6G. The self-made billionaire is seen attending a panel discussion at the company's headquarters in Shenzhen on June 17

Mr Ren, 75, expects his firm to be a global leader of 6G. The self-made billionaire is seen attending a panel discussion at the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen on June 17

The 75-year-old entrepreneur, who is worth $1.3 billion (£1 billion) according to Forbes, claimed that his company had been developing 5G and 6G simultaneously, reported China Economic Weekly citing Mr Ren’s interview with a Saudi Arabian newspaper.

Speaking to The Economist in September, Mr Ren expected his firm to be a global leader of 6G.

He said: ‘I think Huawei will continue to take the lead when it comes to 6G research, but our judgment is that the commercial use of 6G won’t begin for at least 10 years.’

China’s three state-owned telecommunication carriers – China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom – this month launched their 5G data plans.

The country is due to activate more than 130,000 5G base stations by the end of this year to support the system, which is one of the world’s largest 5G deployments.

China has named Wuzhen the country's first '5G town' which has which boasts super-fast internet connection in every corner of the place. Wuzhen (pictured) is an ancient water town

China has named Wuzhen the country’s first ‘5G town’ which has which boasts super-fast internet connection in every corner of the place. Wuzhen (pictured) is an ancient water town

Chinese engineers have already built a ‘5G smart town’ near Shanghai, where residents will be able to download TV series, movies or games at an impressive speed of 1.7GB per second.

5G signal is sent out to the nooks and crannies of the 27-square-mile town of Wuzhen by more than 140 transmitters, which went into service recently.

The country is also on its way to completing a 5G-equipped high-speed train station, in collaboration with Huawei.

Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station (pictured) handles some 60 million passengers a year. The hub is undergoing renovation to become China's first 5G-powered high-speed train station

Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station (pictured) handles some 60 million passengers a year. The hub is undergoing renovation to become China’s first 5G-powered high-speed train station

A ‘super-fast’ 5G network will be fitted to the existing Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, which is one of Asia’s busiest traffic hubs and handles some 60 million passengers a year.

Visitors to the station will be able to download a 2GB high-definition film in less than 20 seconds, according to Huawei.

In comparison, it would take three minutes and 20 seconds to download the same film on a standard 4G network. 

WHAT IS 5G AND WHAT DOES IT DO?

The evolution of the G system started in 1980 with the invention of the mobile phone which allowed for analogue data to be transmitted via phone calls.   

Digital came into play in 1991 with 2G and SMS and MMS capabilities were launched. 

Since then, the capabilities and carrying capacity for the mobile network has increased massively. 

More data can be transferred from one point to another via the mobile network quicker than ever.

5G is expected to be up to 1,000 times faster than the currently used 4G. 

Whilst the jump from 3G to 4G was most beneficial for mobile browsing and working, the step to 5G will be so fast they become almost real-time. 

That means mobile operations will be just as fast as office-based internet connections.

Potential uses for 5g include: 

  • Simultaneous translation of several languages in a party conference call 
  • Self-driving cars can stream movies, music and navigation information from the cloud
  • A full length 8GB film can be downloaded in six seconds. 

5G is expected to be so quick and efficient it is possible it could start the end of wired connections.  

By the end of 2020, industry estimates claim 50 billion devices will be connected to 5G.

The evolution of from 1G to 5G. The predicted speed of 5G is more than 1Gbps - 1,000 times greater than the existing speed of 4G and could be implemented in laptops of the future 

The evolution of from 1G to 5G. The predicted speed of 5G is more than 1Gbps – 1,000 times greater than the existing speed of 4G and could be implemented in laptops of the future 

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