The 5G vision has not yet been fully realized, but 6G is coming?

◎ Science and Technology Daily reporter Liu Yan

On March 23, the Future Mobile Communications Forum released 13 white papers at the Second Global 6G Technology Conference, defining 6G-related technical concepts, indicators and capability extensions with unprecedented strength in the industry.

The next generation of mobile communication technology represented by 6G is the focus of attention and research hotspot of all parties. Traditional communication technology powers, global leading operators and technology companies, and related research institutions have joined the ranks of 6G research and development.

my country attaches great importance to the development of 6G, and the "14th Five-Year Plan" clearly proposes "forward-looking layout of 6G network technology reserves". At the end of 2019, the Ministry of Science and Technology took the lead in establishing a 6G technology research and development promotion working group and an overall expert group, marking the official launch of my country's 6G technology research and development work.

In his speech at the opening ceremony of the Second Global 6G Technology Conference, Xiang Libin, Vice Minister of Science and Technology, said that with the large-scale commercial use of 5G networks, the global strategic layout for 6G research and development has been fully launched. At present, 6G mobile communications are in the early stages of their development, the vision and needs have not yet been determined, and the key technologies have not formed an industry consensus. Related research is in the stage of a hundred schools of thought contending.

There is a consensus in the industry that the next 3-5 years will be a window period for potential key 6G technologies.

"Innovation is the basis of 6G research. We need to have the determination not to be influenced by the outside world." Wu Hequan, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chairman of the Future Mobile Communications Forum, pointed out that 6G has become a high ground for national strategic competition. It is natural for my country to attach importance to 6G research, but we must also be aware that we cannot fail to conduct in-depth research on the needs of 6G and fail to make up our minds to conduct long-term research on disruptive original technologies because of competition. Rushing to catch up with foreign countries and being out of touch with market needs will lead to strategic passivity.

Xiang Libin said: "It will take a process for academic research on 6G technology to move towards industrial vision, and 2022 is a key year in this process. Today, our discussion on new concepts, technologies and ideas about 6G is related to the face of mobile communications tomorrow, which in turn will change the face of human society."

As Han Liming, member of the Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Nanjing Municipal Party Committee, said, 5G is in its infancy and 6G is on the rise again. It is urgent for us to jointly respond to challenges, solve problems, collide wisdom, open up ideas, and work together to build a solid foundation for technological and industrial transformation.

Xiang Libin emphasized that China welcomes and actively supports international cooperation in the field of 6G. He suggested that countries give full play to their respective advantages, expand cooperation space around the key points of 6G research, build a bridge of collaborative innovation, and jointly promote the establishment of a global 6G ecosystem, laying a good foundation for the future integration and development of related industries and mutual benefit and win-win results.

Liu Yulin, first-level inspector of the Information and Communication Development Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, pointed out that the current 6G development is at a critical period of vision and demand formation, and all parties need to work together to form a joint force. First, focus on vision and demand research to form a broader consensus; second, accelerate key technology innovation to lay the technical foundation for 6G development; third, deepen international exchanges and cooperation to maintain a global unified 6G standard; fourth, coordinate the development of 5G and 6G to fully release the development potential of 5G.

You Xiaohu, professor at Southeast University, deputy director and chief scientist of Purple Mountain Laboratory, introduced that in the 6G era, the key indicator capabilities of the three major application scenarios of 5G will be increased by orders of magnitude. At the same time, new application scenarios such as integrated communication, computing, control and perception, space-ground integration, and federal AI will also emerge.

Although the industry's judgment on the commercialization time of 6G is mostly concentrated in 2030, the public is still confused. The vision of 5G technology has not yet been fully realized. Is it necessary to rush to meet 6G with us?

Wu Hequan said: "The success of 5G networks and applications is the premise of 6G research. We need to explore the market from 5G applications, and some 6G technologies can also be tested with 5G in advance."

The 2nd Global 6G Technology Conference, hosted by the Future Mobile Communications Forum and Purple Mountain Laboratory, is like creating a strong magnetic field for 6G innovation and opening up for the world. Nearly 100 experts held in-depth discussions on 6G millimeter wave and terahertz technology, 6G vision and technical requirements, 6G spectrum sharing and coexistence technology, 6G network architecture and key technologies, 6G wireless coverage extension technology, 6G wireless air interface transmission technology, 6G wireless network security architecture key technologies, space-ground integrated intelligent networking technology, and 6G full-scenario on-demand service key technologies.