China has made significant progress in key areas of 6G technology, accelerating efforts toward full commercialization of next-generation wireless communication by 2030. These advancements could transform connectivity and stimulate innovation across various industries.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that the first phase of 6G testing has been completed, resulting in more than 300 breakthroughs in core technological areas.

At Purple Mountain Laboratories in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, a ping-pong ball rebound test offers a glimpse into the future of 6G-enabled smart factories. The device keeps the ball on a precisely controlled trajectory, creating the world’s first “deterministic limited-latency wireless access demonstration system” for 6G.

The entire process is controlled in real time by a 6G wireless network, which demands extremely high standards for latency and stability. In industrial settings, 6G will ensure machine synchronization at the microsecond level, transforming factories into highly organized “organic systems.”

“6G will, for the first time, allow wireless networks to penetrate core manufacturing processes, replacing the most precise wired control lines. This is not only a technological breakthrough but also a major transformation of the entire industrial production model, laying the foundation for truly ‘unmanned factories,’” said Liu Zhenning, a researcher at Purple Mountain Laboratories.

China plans to focus on the development of 6G standards and industrialization during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030), with commercial launch expected around 2030. By 2035, widespread commercial deployment of 6G and the creation of a 6G application ecosystem worth trillions of yuan are anticipated, said Du Ying, deputy director of the Institute of Wireless and Mobile Communications at the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

China’s 6G trials are divided into three phases: the first verifies key technologies; the second tests technical solutions and prototypes for typical scenarios; and the third involves testing system networks with pre-commercial equipment and key 6G products.