SOURCE / INDUSTRIES
Huawei’s 6G research progresses, end-user devices expected around 2030
Published: May 31, 2020 03:03 PM

6G Photo: VCG



The US' unreasonable crackdown on Huawei will not hinder the Chinese tech giant's advancement in ICT (information and communication technology) as its senior management said the company has started research on 6G and relevant applications are expected to emerge around 2030.

"With the judgment that 6G will use a millimeter wave, Huawei is now at the stage of exploring use scenarios and technologies," Yang Tao, vice president of Huawei's China carrier business unit, said in a recent interview with domestic news site tech.sina.cn.

Xiang Ligang, a veteran industry analyst and a close follower of Huawei, told the Global Times on Sunday that whatever measures the US take to press Huawei, it cannot delay the company's research and development (R&D) of the futuristic 6G technology.

"Currently, Huawei's researchers are collecting peers information, such as what's the shortcomings of 5G networks, what consumers can do with 6G, and what 5G technologies can be adopted for the R&D of 6G technology," Xiang said.

He gave a roadmap of 6G development in China to come up with visions of 6G by around 2023, set technological standards by 2026, roll out relevant technology by 2028 and preliminary commercial use of the network by 2030.

Yu Chengdong, head of Huawei's consumer business group, said that 6G will be mainly used in sectors including the Internet of Things, self-driving automobiles and smart factories, media reports said.

Early in February, Huawei announced that it had obtained 91 5G commercial contracts worldwide, of which over half came from Europe.

In recent years, China has taken the lead in 5G network construction and commercialization. Huawei Wireless Product Line Vice President Gan Bin said on May 19 that 200,000 5G bases have been rolled out in China, and the total number is expected to reach 800,000 by the end of 2020, covering 340 cities across China.

The fast commercialization of 5G networks boosts other domestic players to actively develop 6G technologies.

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun recently said that the company is also taking part in making 6G researching plans and would carry out research on 6G terminals, though Xiaomi is not likely to expand to making commercial 6G equipment.

On May 17, domestic telecom equipment manufacturer ZTE agreed with major carrier China Unicom to jointly review 6G prospects and technology trends, and carry out research on key technology and standard cooperation.