That’s right. As the great nations battle it out for 5G supremacy, China has laid down the gauntlet by claiming that it’s already started work on 6G.
According to a report by the Science and Technology Daily, which is published by China’s Ministry of (you guessed it) Science and Technology, the Chinese government and scientific institutions have officially started researching sixth-generation telecoms technology.
Apparently, two teams have already been formed to oversee the research and study of 6G. This dual pronged approach marks the official start of a state-backed effort to accelerate the development of the technology.
The first team will be in charge of pushing through the execution of 6G technology. The second team consists of of 37 experts from a combination of universities, institutions and corporations that will provide technical advice to the government on the issue of 6G.
Ultra-fast mobile technologies have become a contentious topic in recent months. Case in point, The United States and China. Both countries are currently at each others neck, with the US (Donald Trump’s) insistence that Huawei’s equipment is being used for international espionage and subsequent ban on the company being the highlight of it all.
The funny thing is, the world has yet to even scratch the surface of what 5G is capable of. And there’s China, already planning for 6G. While it’s impossible to say what exactly 6G technology is going to be like, 5G is known to have data transmission speeds at least 10 times greater than 4G, so you can try taking a guess at how fast it will be if you want.
Even though South Korea won the so called ‘5G race’, China are still a powerhouse when it comes to the technology, with Huawei heavily involved in building many of the 5G networks around the world, even here in Malaysia.
China’s vice minister of the science ministry, Wang Xi, insists that the country is determined to lay out the groundwork for developing 6G. The technology should be treated as a priority at this “crucial stage” of the development of the nation and as such, the ministry will start to draft a road map for developing 6G, as well as exploring the possible applications of the technology.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for a significant update on this.
