China Mobile Leads the Global 6G Standardization Work into the Substantive Stage

With the widespread application of 5G technology, the global communications industry is rapidly entering the research and development and standardization stage of the sixth generation of mobile communications (6G). On September 13, 2024, at the 105th plenary meeting of the Service and System Technical Specification Group (SA) of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) held in Melbourne, Australia, the first 6G standard project, the 6G scenario use case and demand research project, was approved.

The main reporter of this project was a representative of China Mobile, and it was supported by more than 90 companies around the world. China Mobile will coordinate and manage the pace of 6G standard formulation, guide the direction of technical discussions, and lead the formation of effective conclusions, which will play a vital role in the orderly promotion of standards and strict quality control.

3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) is a standardization organization established in December 1998. It aims to develop and implement global third-generation mobile phone system specifications and standards. It is responsible for developing global mobile communication technology standards, including 3G, 4G, 5G and the latest 6G standards. These standards ensure that mobile communication networks in different countries and regions can interoperate and promote global communication integration. 3GPP's work includes demand definition, architecture design, detailed specification formulation, and testing and verification to ensure the feasibility and compatibility of the technology.

3GPP has started the standardization work of 6G. The first 6G standard project, the 6G scenario use case and demand research project, has been approved, marking that the 6G standardization work has entered the substantive stage.

It is understood that the business scenario defines the direction of each generation of communication systems and is the fundamental basis for network performance, functional design and service capabilities. As the rapporteur this time, Chinese companies will coordinate and manage the pace of 6G standard formulation, guide the direction of technical discussions, and lead the formation of effective conclusions, which will play a vital role in the orderly promotion of standards and strict quality control.

From the previous discussions, the research directions of 6G include the integration of mobile communications, computing power and AI, the integration of communications and perception, the integration of space, land and air, and immersive communications, which will become the representative new capabilities of the 6G era.

The global 6G standardization work has been supported by more than 90 companies worldwide, more than double the number of companies supporting the 5G demand project. At the same time, the number of government departments, research institutions, vertical industries and terminal companies participating has increased significantly, from 8 in the 5G period to 46; the participation of satellite companies has also increased from 0 in the 5G period to 9 in the 6G period.

3GPP's 6G standardization work plans to start technical research projects in mid-2025 and will complete the formulation of the first version of 6G specifications by the end of 2028 or early 2029, with the aim of bringing the first batch of commercial 6G systems to the market before 2030.

Potential application areas of 6G will include industrial automation and intelligent manufacturing, Internet of Vehicles, telemedicine, virtual reality and augmented reality, smart cities and digital twins, integrated networks of air, land and sea, holographic communications, smart agriculture, environmental monitoring, wireless energy transmission, etc.