With the advent of the 6G communication era, the scientific and technological struggle between China and the United States has been upgraded
Have you ever wondered what the communication network of the future will look like? 6G has become a new battlefield for technology giants, and a battle for the right to speak in science and technology is being staged.
Recently, the layout of the United States in the field of 6G has attracted widespread attention at home and abroad. On the one hand, the United States has successfully launched tens of thousands of near-Earth satellites through projects such as the "Starlink Project", monopolizing a large number of satellite orbit resources. On the other hand, the United States has also united with international technology giants such as Apple, Qualcomm, and Intel to form a strong 6G industry alliance.
In the face of this strong layout of the United States, many domestic academicians issued warnings. Li Deren, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, pointed out that the 6G network is highly dependent on satellite layout, and China is relatively lagging behind in this regard, and must speed up the pace to follow up.
This contest in the field of 6G has escalated into a contest of global scientific and technological strength. In this competition, can Huawei and other Chinese technology companies maintain their 6G leading position? Foreign media also began to question.
Historically, China has taken the lead in both 4G and 5G fields. But in the 6G era, the situation may be reversed. This is not only about China's right to speak in the field of communications in the future, but also about the country's scientific and technological strength and innovation capabilities.
Although the CCP has an advantage in the number of 5G base stations and users, it relies heavily on imports in 5G core technologies and key components, which makes China's 5G development unsustainable. The United States is a leader in 5G core technology, chip design, and system integration.
6G is a new technological highland that China and the United States must compete for. Although 5G and 6G are sequential, there are fundamental differences in technology. For example, the frequency band of 5G is mainly concentrated in the range of 2.5-4.9GHz, and the future of 6G will use the terahertz frequency band, which ranges between 100GHz-10THz, which is 1000 times that of GHz. 6G will support higher transmission rates, larger network capacity, and lower latency, and can support emerging application scenarios such as holographic communication and artificial intelligence.
Due to the strategic importance of 6G technology, both China and the United States are stepping up their layout. The United States has established the "6G Next Generation Alliance" to cooperate with technology giants such as Qualcomm, Apple, and Google to carry out 6G research and development; China has also established the IMT-2030 (6G Promotion Group). Both sides are competing for the right to formulate 6G standards and the right to speak in the industry.
Due to China's weak links in chips, operating systems, basic software and other fields, it is in a passive situation in the development of 6G. Although the CCP pays lip service to "6G leading", it still relies heavily on foreign countries in key core technologies.
6G requires the support of a large number of advanced chips, and China's chip industry is still constrained by the "stuck neck" policy of the United States. If the CCP wants to take the lead in the field of 6G, unless it can achieve breakthroughs in basic fields such as chips and software, it will be gone forever.
The era of 6G communication has come, and the scientific and technological strength of China and the United States has been upgraded
So what is 6G? 6G is the abbreviation of the generation of mobile communication network, which is faster than the current 5G network transmission rate, lower latency, larger capacity, and can support new application scenarios, such as holographic communication, intelligent driving and so on.
Why is 6G so powerful? First of all, it uses the terahertz frequency band, with a frequency range of up to 100GHz to 10THz, which is more than 1,000 times the frequency band used by 5G. Such a high frequency means that the transmission rate of 6G networks will reach an ultra-high level of terabytes per second.
6G will make large-scale use of artificial intelligence and big data analysis technologies, which can achieve intelligent scheduling and autonomous optimization, and greatly improve network performance. 6G will make extensive use of satellite communication technology to achieve seamless global coverage through the deployment of a large number of low-orbit satellites.
This is why 6G is regarded as the commanding heights of the next generation of information technology, and whoever holds 6G will be able to dominate the development direction of the future communications industry.
6G has become a new battlefield for the technological strength of China and the United States. The United States is clearly aware of the importance of 6G, and has been accumulating strength in the field of 6G for a long time in recent years.
The U.S. government attaches great importance to the development of 6G and has allocated billions of dollars for 6G research and development. The United States has also united with Apple, Qualcomm, Intel and other technology giants to form a strong 6G industry alliance to focus on key 6G technologies.
More importantly, the United States has successfully launched tens of thousands of low-orbit satellites through the "Starlink Program" and other space projects, monopolizing a large number of satellite orbit resources. This has won the right time and place for the United States to build and operate 6G networks.
In addition to the strong support of the government, American technology giants are also actively deploying in the field of 6G. In 2022, Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia and other companies jointly established the AI-RAN Alliance, which aims to integrate artificial intelligence technology into 6G radio access networks and improve network efficiency. With their advantages in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and other fields, these tech giants are expected to play an important role in 6G technology innovation.
The United States is also actively enlisting allies to jointly promote the development of 6G. In February 2024, the United States, together with 10 countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, issued a joint statement to reach "common principles" on the research and development of 6G wireless communication systems, calling for the promotion of "6G network research and development and standardization in line with common principles". This suggests that the United States intends to play a leading role in the development of 6G standards by uniting its allies.
Although the layout of the United States in the field of 6G is becoming more and more perfect, China still has an advantage in the number of 6G patents. According to statistics, by the end of 2023, China accounted for nearly 50% of the world's patent applications in the field of 6G, far ahead of the United States. Huawei, ZTE and other Chinese companies have also made breakthroughs in the research and development of 6G core technologies.
In the competition in the field of 6G, China needs to continue to increase investment and maintain its advantage in technological innovation. At the same time, it is also necessary to actively participate in the formulation of international standards to ensure that China occupies an advantageous position in the development of the 6G era. Strengthening international cooperation with other countries is also key to avoid 6G development being dominated and monopolized by the United States and Western countries.
Where is China's 6G development going? Independent innovation is the key
As can be seen from the above, 6G has become a new battlefield for the scientific and technological strength of China and the United States. Although China is temporarily leading in the number of 6G patents, the United States is accelerating its catch-up by uniting allies and integrating resources.
What are the key aspects for China to achieve dominance in the field of 6G?
It is necessary to increase the independent innovation of 6G core technology. 6G involves many cutting-edge technologies such as terahermetz communications, artificial intelligence, and satellite Internet, and China must achieve breakthroughs in these fields and master key core technologies, rather than repeating the mistake of being "stuck" in the 5G era.
It is necessary to speed up the pace of formulating 6G standards. China must actively participate in the International Organization for Standardization, play a leading role in the formulation of 6G standards, and avoid being dominated and monopolized by the United States and Western countries.
China also needs to strengthen international cooperation with other countries. 6G is a system project that requires the joint efforts of multiple parties. China should unite with other countries to jointly promote the development of 6G technology and form an international cooperation pattern that is beneficial to itself.
Government support and industrial layout are also indispensable. The Chinese government needs to give more policy support and capital investment in the field of 6G, and at the same time, it should also guide enterprises to increase investment in 6G research and development, so as to form a benign development pattern of government, industry, academia, research and application.
6G is a contest of national strength and institutional superiority. In order for China to win this contest, it must give full play to the advantages of the socialist system in concentrating forces to do great things, mobilize the participation of the whole society, and achieve independent innovation and breakthroughs in key areas.