Chinese telecommunications operator China Mobile announced the launch of the world's first small experimental sixth generation (6G) network. The test infrastructure includes 10 base stations and is intended for research purposes, not intended for commercial use at this stage.
According to the operator, during the tests, data transfer speeds of up to 280 Gbps were achieved, which is more than 14 times higher than the theoretical maximum of 5G networks. At such a speed, a volume of 50 GB (approximately a two-hour movie in Blu-Ray 4K format) can be transferred in less than a second and a half – significantly faster than the capabilities of current solutions.
China Mobile's investment in 6G research and development has exceeded 39.1 billion yuan (over 5.4 billion dollars). The company reports participation in four key national projects in the field of scientific and technological development, as well as the formation of a list of ten priority 6G technologies.
China Mobile also announced the continuation of active development of 5G/5G-A networks. The company has built the world's largest 5G network, with over 2.4 million base stations, accounting for over 30% of the world's total network. These stations cover over 90% of China's administrative regions, and the network itself ranks first in over 300 international 5G standards.