While the transition from 4G to 5G is still in an early stage of development in some parts of the world, the race has begun for more robust connectivity with 6G. The sixth-generation wireless technology, when operational, will dwarf the speed of its predecessor 5G. It is predicted that 6G will be up to 100 times faster than 5G and would offer several new applications and enhance the speed of communications on the whole. It will revolutionize the wireless communications spectrum and open a world of new opportunities.
China’s patent office, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), has announced that the country is leading in the race for 6G technology. Several Chinese companies account for about 35% of the global 6G-related patents. The CNIPA says that with 13,449 patents already out of the estimated 38,000 patents for 6G, the Chinese are the global leaders in the research and development of 6G technology. The United States comes a distant second with about 18% of the patents.
Last month, the global leader in 5G technology, Huawei, hinted that the 6G technology could be birthed by the turn of the century. The company continues to pursue research along this line despite its numerous travails. Several companies, including Apple and Samsung, are also known to be scaling up their research along 6G development as the race heats up.
The US and its allies in Europe have already begun research projects on the 6G technology and could be working together to have a common front. China will continue to explore partnerships between Chinese companies and those from Japan and South Korea to pursue 6G capabilities. Chinese companies will therefore continue to reduce their reliance on US suppliers in the face of the hostile situations between Washington and Beijing.
According to their segments, a breakdown of the patents shows that China holds the aces in the areas of Artificial Intelligence and terahertz technology, with some Chinese universities driving research within these segments. We’ll continue to keep a close tab on the development, although we are still years away from an actual 6G deployment.
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(source)
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