China Launches World First 6G in Space, Network to be Commercialized in Asia by 2030

While much of the planet is still seeing the rollout of 5G, China Mobile recently launched a satellite designed to test a first 6G connection from space. A true terrestrial network, however, is not expected to be in operation before 2030.

Expected to be much faster than 5G, 6G will be able to support applications beyond current mobile use scenarios. This includes ubiquitous instant communications, pervasive intelligence and IoT. 6G networks will likely operate on higher radio frequencies, providing more bandwidth and latency at microsecond speeds.

It is worthy to note that, the planned successor to 5G has been in development for some time, worked on by several companies not exclusively in China.

While 5G that is totally independent of 4G and offers enhanced performance is still being rolled out in many countries, China is already turning its attention to 6G with a first test… in space. China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile operator in terms of subscriber numbers, has successfully launched the world’s first satellite dedicated to 6G tests, reports China Daily.

Launched into low-Earth orbit, around 500 kilometers from the Earth, this satellite is the very first to carry a 6G architecture, developed by China Mobile in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The satellite’s low-Earth orbit position is designed to ensure fast data transfer and low latency compared with satellites at a distance of 36,000 kilometers above our planet. The idea is that, when the 6G network does get rolled out, its flaws will have been worked out, resulting in a perfectly tuned satellite system.

This experimental, exploratory project is being launched at a time when the first 6G-compatible networks, expected to be used in China and South Korea, are scheduled to be commercialized in 2030. On paper, 6G looks impressive, with speeds of up to 1 TB per second and near-zero latency. What’s more, 6G will be particularly well-suited to the Internet of Things, with the ability to detect and link together numerous connected devices or vehicles within a given radius.