China has officially launched the second phase of its 6G technical trials, marking a significant step forward in the country’s pursuit of next-generation wireless technology.
This follows the successful completion of the first phase, which established a robust reserve of more than 300 key 6G technologies.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Xie Cun, spokesperson and Director of the Information and Communication Development Department at China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), highlighted China’s leading position in building the world’s largest and most advanced information infrastructure, noting that the country now operates over 4.8 million 5G base stations and boasts more than 1.2 billion 5G users.
China also holds approximately 42% of global declarations for 5G standard-essential patents, underscoring its dominance in current-generation mobile networks.
The first phase of 6G trials, which China has conducted over four consecutive years, focused on identifying and validating core technologies to define the main technical directions for 6G.
This groundwork has positioned China strongly in the global race toward 6G, expected to deliver transformative capabilities such as ultra-high speeds, massive connectivity, integrated sensing and communication, and AI-native networks by around 2030.
With the transition to the second phase, efforts will shift toward developing and testing 6G prototypes, technical solutions, and performance in typical scenarios. This phase is part of a broader roadmap that includes subsequent system networking trials and pre-commercial equipment development in later stages.
Experts view this progression as a key component of China’s strategy to maintain technological leadership in telecommunications. Building on its unparalleled 5G deployment, which covers all townships and 95% of administrative villages nationwide, the country aims to accelerate 6G research while fostering an application-oriented industrial ecosystem.
The move aligns with ongoing international efforts in 6G standardization, though China’s scale and pace continue to draw attention from global competitors.
As 6G remains in the early R&D phase worldwide, these trials signal Beijing’s commitment to “moderately ahead-of-time” infrastructure advancement, integrating lessons from 5G rollout to drive innovation in emerging technologies like AI, industrial internet, and beyond.
This development reinforces China’s role as a frontrunner in shaping the future of global connectivity.
