The global 6G competition has begun, and industry chain giants are taking the lead in planning

On March 22, the second Global 6G (sixth generation mobile communications) Technology Conference was held online. The conference conducted comprehensive exchanges and in-depth discussions on more than a dozen key 6G technology scenarios. Recently, 6G has also become one of the hot topics pursued by the A-share market. On the investor interaction platform, many listed companies revealed their company's layout in the 6G field.

As the global 5G network enters the fast lane for large-scale commercial use, the strategic layout for 6G research and development has also been fully launched. At present, many countries and regions, international organizations, academia, and industry have carried out 6G research. The "6G Global Progress and Development Outlook White Paper" previously released by CCID Think Tank pointed out that, in general, 6G research is still in its infancy worldwide, and the overall technical route is not yet clear, but the global 6G competition has been fully launched, and the next 3 to 5 years will be a critical window period for 6G research and development. Some experts say that this period will be the key to seize the commanding heights of technology in the communications field and cultivate the industrial foundation.

my country has always attached great importance to the development of 6G. The "14th Five-Year Plan" for the Development of the Digital Economy proposes to proactively deploy 6G network technology reserves, increase support for 6G technology research and development, and actively participate in promoting 6G international standardization. Xiao Yaqing, Minister of Industry and Information Technology, also stated during this year's two sessions that while developing 5G, the evolution direction and evolution technology route of the next generation of communication technology should be considered, and the development of the next generation of communication technology 6G should be planned in advance. According to the latest data from the State Intellectual Property Office, the current global patent applications in the field of 6G communication technology exceed 38,000. Among them, China's patent applications accounted for 35%, ranking first in the world.

Global industry chain giants have already started to make forward-looking plans for 6G. Internationally, Apple is currently using terahertz communication technology as a starting point to enhance its 6G research and development capabilities; Samsung is focusing on the research and development of 6G key technologies to deploy 6G commercialization and has released relevant research reports.

Domestically, in terms of operators, China Mobile recently jointly released the "6G Application Scenarios and Analysis White Paper" with global operators, predicting network application scenarios after 2030. At China Unicom's performance briefing on March 11, China Unicom executives said that the company attaches great importance to network upgrade evolution and technological innovation and development, and conducts tracking and research on 5G-A and 6G technologies; in terms of communication equipment vendors, Huawei launched 6G research as early as 2019. In 2020, Huawei joined hands with Unicom and Galaxy Aerospace to reach an integrated space-ground strategic partnership agreement to jointly develop the 6G field; ZTE has also established a special team to focus on 6G network structure and 6G enabling technology; in terms of communication chips, Ziguang ZTE announced the launch of 6G research and development in November 2019, using the terminal field as a breakthrough to strengthen 6G technology research and development and reserve capabilities.

Recently, 6G has also become one of the hot topics pursued by the A-share market. On the investor platform, many investors have asked questions about whether companies related to the industrial chain have made advance arrangements in the 6G field. In response to investors' questions, Guomai Technology stated on the interactive platform that the company will continue to strengthen the reserve and research of next-generation communication technology, actively carry out research, tracking, R&D and personnel training of key technologies, and seize the commanding heights of technology and talents; Weishitong stated on the interactive platform that the company is tracking the development of 6G technology and carrying out corresponding technical reserves; Jiesai Technology also stated that the company is currently focusing on increasing investment in the R&D of 5G products and solutions while actively tracking 6G key technologies and planning the layout of 6G-related industries; Oscon revealed that the company is currently communicating with customers about the requirements of next-generation communication technology, negotiating projects related to ground-orbit satellite communications, and developing and reserving related technologies; Qiangrui Technology also replied on the interactive platform that the company has relevant technical reserves to help customers carry out 6G business, but does not directly participate in the R&D and design of 6G technology.