What Makes 6G So “6”?

2025-08-27

Recently, Beijing E-Town launched China’s first local special policy to support the 6G industry, offering up to 30 million yuan in funding for enterprises undertaking national and municipal key R&D tasks—marking a new phase of accelerated development for 6G technology in China.
To understand 6G, it helps to look back at 5G. As the fifth-generation mobile communication technology, 5G provides high speed, ultra-low latency, and massive connectivity, laying the foundation for the Internet of Things (IoT). As of June 2025, China had built over 4.55 million 5G base stations, with more than 1.118 billion users—a penetration rate of nearly 80%—creating a solid basis for 6G development.

6G, the sixth-generation mobile communication technology, goes beyond connectivity. It represents a deeply integrated information infrastructure combining communications, sensing, computing, AI, big data, and security. Its goal is to shift from traditional “connection” to “Everything as a Service” (XaaS).

Experts say 6G will achieve transmission speeds more than 10 times faster than 5G, with peak rates reaching up to 1 Gbps—allowing mobile devices to enjoy gigabit broadband experiences. There are three groundbreaking technological advances.

First, 6G will adopt a “cell-free” architecture, replacing traditional cellular networks. This greatly enhances base station power efficiency and extends more consistent and wider coverage.

Second, a three-layer “core-edge-peripheral” network framework will be established, enabling real-time data processing in applications such as smart factories.

Third, 6G will introduce “direct satellite-to-phone” communication. Using collaborative low-earth orbit satellite constellations, it will integrate space, air, and terrestrial coverage, reducing reliance on ground infrastructure.

The year 2025 is crucial for 6G standardization, with global efforts underway to establish unified standards. 6G is expected to become commercially available by 2030, truly realizing the vision of “Intelligent Connection of Everything.”