6G Photo: VCG

China will step up efforts to upgrade its traditional network infrastructure, boost the development of 5G toward 5G Advanced, or 5G-A, and comprehensively propel 6G technological research and innovations, the National Data Administration said on Friday.

The administration, overseen by the National Development and Reform Commission, made the announcement in a draft on the construction of the country's data infrastructure. The draft is open for public opinions before December 1.

It said that the country will build deterministic networking that provides bounded latency, guaranteed bandwidth and high transmission reliability. Additionally, the country will build satellite internet that integrates land and sky, according to the document.

The administration also encouraged industries and regions to take the lead in exploring the construction of data infrastructure, while also encouraging enterprises and research institutions to increase investments in research and development (R&D) for technological breakthroughs in the field of data flow and utilization.

The arrival of the document is timely, as continuous enhancement of 5G-A technology will help sustain the health and vitality of the 5G industry while laying a solid foundation for future 6G standards and industry development, Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Beijing-based Information Consumption Alliance, told the Global Times on Friday.

6G technology does not come from nowhere but is based on 5G development. China has been successful not only in 5G technologies and standards but also applications in a wide range of fields from smart manufacturing to ports and mining, serving as a good foundation for its 6G development, Xiang said.

The number of 5G base stations in China exceeded 4.04 million at the end of August, according to data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in September.

"As the next-generation wireless technology after 5G, 6G will have higher speeds, lower latency and greater connection density, which will empower the development of emerging industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) and intelligent connected vehicles," Ma Jihua, a veteran telecom industry observer, told the Global Times on Friday.

During the 2024 Global 6G Development Conference held from November 13 to 14 in East China's Shanghai, experts, scholars and multinationals from countries including China, the EU, Japan and South Korea shared the development of 6G in their countries, and an initiative was released on cooperation on the development of 6G, including the formulation of a globally unified 6G standard, the Economic Information Daily newspaper reported.

"It's important for major countries across the world to work together and formulate a global 6G standard, which will have a positive impact on the accelerated development of 6G technologies and commercialization," Ma said, urging certain Western countries to drop the "small yard and high fence" mentality on the 6G development.

According to the development pace of 4G and 5G, China is expected to commercialize 6G in around 2030, Ma said.