- As technology advances, the race for 6G between China and the United States is already heating up.
- State news agencies reported that China launched a satellite designed to test 6G technology earlier this month.
- Although this is technically the first 6G satellite, the technology is still in its infancy as even experts don’t know what capabilities 6G will provide.
Historically, the United States has been good at being blindsided by satellite launches. For example, both Sputnik, which sparked the space race, and Russia’s new anti-satellite ambitions went unnoticed by many people. So it remains to be seen whether China’s launch of “the world’s first 6G satellite” this month (at least according to state media) will raise some eyebrows in Washington, given the US’ penchant for surprises in orbit. I don’t know.
China launched two experimental satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) earlier this month, according to the English-language state media outlet China International Television Network (CGTN). The first satellite, called China Mobile 01, is reportedly equipped with “the world’s first signal processing satellite equipped with a land-based space 5G operating system.” The second is named Xinghe (“Star Core”) and includes “an autonomous architecture for 6G,” according to CGTN.
this I don’t That means Chinese smartphones are about to receive a major data speed upgrade, with 6G still years away, at least until 2030 or beyond. After all, China actually launched her 6G satellite in 2020, but the technology world is still completely unaffected. But that means the era of 6G (and a ton of misleading marketing) is fast approaching.
For the millions of people who haven’t even boarded the 5G train yet, the impending arrival of 6G may seem like a technological whiplash. After years of costly rollout, the rollout of 5G in the US, which brings improved download speeds, latency and robustness, is finally here to stay, with an estimated 91% of Americans on the network by 2030. expected to connect.
While the rollout of 5G will define communications in the 2020s, 6G will be the mobile technology of the 2030s and beyond. China is launching a satellite called 6G, but the technology is still in its infancy and experts aren’t really sure. what 6G will make that happen.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) defines speeds for wireless generations and does not publish speeds for 6G, but Scientific American reports that 6G results in speeds 10 to 1,000 times faster than 5G. It can be assumed that High frequency radio waves.That means 6G. did it With download speeds increasing to terabits per second levels, this increase in bandwidth could enable the era of AR/VR and self-driving cars while permanently eliminating the dreaded “dead zone.”
The US government is not silent either. Back in April 2023, the White House met with industry leaders to discuss the arrival of 6G and develop strategies to avoid some of the pitfalls that have plagued 5G deployment delays. For example, in 2023, he had more than 100 million more subscribers using 4G than he used 5G, and the adoption rate was much higher in China.
Because 6G is so important for next-generation technology, to be the first to develop and deploy such networks, Clear technical advantage. For now, 6G is in the research and development stage, and some of that research and development is finding its way into space.
Darren lives in Portland and has a cat. She writes/edits about science fiction and how our world works. If you look hard enough, you can find his previous articles on Gizmodo and Paste.
