The 6G Race: China Takes the Lead, Is America's "Curveball" Out of the Question?

The 6G Race: China Takes the Lead, Is America's "Curveball" Out of the Question?Speaking of Musk's achievements, the most eye-catching is undoubtedly the Starlink program launched by his company. By launching numerous near-Earth orbit satellites, users can connect to them, enabling high-speed, low-latency internet services

The 6G Race: China Takes the Lead, Is America's "Curveball" Out of the Question?

Since entering the information age, communication technologies have been fiercely competitive among countries. Before 4G, communication technology was monopolized by foreign countries. However, with the construction of 5G, China has become the biggest winner. The maturity of China's 5G technology completely broke the monopoly of foreign countries. At this time, countries began to prepare for 6G technology, hoping to achieve leading results in this technology.

After several years of research, Elon Musk finally announced a major breakthrough. However, foreign media claimed that 6G's chance to overtake China is unlikely. Why?

America's Starlink Program: A "Secret Weapon" for 6G?

Before developing 6G, China's 5G had spread globally, which made the US uncomfortable. They resisted the expansion of 5G, not only rejecting Chinese 5G technology themselves but also persuading other allies to do the same. This year, Germany announced that it would dismantle its already installed 5G infrastructure, a move that could be considered a self-inflicted wound.

Seeing that they had already lost the 5G race, the US decided to skip over 5G and directly develop 6G technology. To stay ahead of China in breaking through 6G, the US joined forces with Japan, South Korea, Australia, the UK, France, and other countries to form a 6G alliance. This alliance includes both national and corporate elements, and Elon Musk, a shining star in the field of high-tech, is highly anticipated.

Speaking of Musk's achievements, the most eye-catching is undoubtedly the Starlink program launched by his company. By launching numerous near-Earth orbit satellites, users can connect to them, enabling high-speed, low-latency internet services. The Starlink program is a major project undertaken by Musk's company and has received strong support from the US. Currently, over 6,000 satellites have been launched, completing 15% of the plan, and the number of users has surpassed three million.

According to the ultimate plan for Starlink, a network comprised of more than 40,000 satellites will cover every corner of the globe. People can connect to satellites directly using ordinary phones, leading to a quantum leap in internet connectivity.

In March of this year, Musk announced the success of the Starlink program on social media. They used a regular phone to connect to a satellite, and testing yielded download speeds of up to 17Mbpsan unprecedented speed. This demonstrates that the Starlink program will become a new direction for communication technology, and the 6G era is imminent.

The US's success has given it more confidence to hinder the development of Chinese communication technology. Since 5G has become a thing of the past, they can freely restrict China's 5G without any scruples. Hence, the US has joined forces with other countries to impose embargoes on China, increase taxes on Chinese 5G equipment, and even target the materials used in communication technology.

China's 6G Technology: A Clear Advantage

Is the US so confident in its own capabilities? How far has China's 6G communication technology progressed?

In this global competition, multiple countries, including China, the US, Japan, and South Korea, are actively pushing forward. As the winner of 5G communication technology, China has an unparalleled advantage in 6G communication technology.

In terms of progress, China is clearly more complete. China ranks first in patent numbers, accounting for 40.3% of the total, followed by the US, which accounts for 35.2%. In terms of research and development results, China successfully built the world's first 6G outdoor test network this year. Not long ago, China's first terahertz/6G high-capacity wireless super-network base station successfully conducted public trials at the Stone Tower in Shijiazhuang, marking a major breakthrough for China.

Qianfan Constellation: China's Secret Weapon to Counter Starlink

In response to the threat posed by America's Starlink program, China has already taken countermeasures. China's numerous constellation plans are the nemesis of the Starlink program.

According to the International Telecommunication Union, radio frequency resources belong to all of humanity, and the specific division is a very complex matter. Therefore, the principle of "first come, first served" is commonly accepted. One aspect is application, but successful launch is another. The US's Starlink program is underway, and to prevent the occupation of low-orbit satellite resources, China's Qianfan Constellation and Xingwang are also being rapidly pushed forward.

The Qianfan Constellation plan aims to launch 14,000 satellites, providing users with satellite internet services that boast high bandwidth, low latency, high quality, high security, and global coverage. Currently, the speed of our satellite internet is low because satellites are in medium Earth orbit. The higher the orbit, the wider the coverage, but the lower the communication speed. Conversely, if the satellite is in low orbit, the coverage may be smaller, but the communication speed will be significantly faster.

Musk's Starlink program is based on this layout. However, we are now also laying out Xingwang, which, with 14,000 satellites, will cover most of the human living areas. Once Xingwang is fully formed, even if people are in remote areas or on the ocean, communication speeds will greatly increase.

The Evolution and Impact of Communication Technology

Many people say that there's no difference between 4G and 5G, the network isn't much faster, and the money flows faster. But do you remember the changes each generation of communication technology has brought to the world?

The first generation of communication technology, although it could achieve communication between people, was expensive, the signal was unstable, and many people could not afford it. The second generation of communication technology solved the communication between people, allowing not only phone calls but also text messages. The third generation of communication technology added the transmission of images and audio to communication, and intelligent devices gradually appeared in our lives. The fourth generation of communication technology opened up a new world with smart phones, from mobile navigation, mobile games, mobile shopping, and mobile payments all of which completely changed people's lives. Everything you need can be done with just one phone.

The fifth generation of communication technology has changed people's lifestyles. For ordinary people, there is an endless stream of information, short videos have emerged, live streaming has exploded, and people no longer worry about poor network signals no matter where they are or what they're doing. Instead, they have become accustomed to the fast loading of high-definition videos. The fifth generation of communication technology has also promoted the birth of new businesses, such as second-level navigation, industrial intelligence, city intelligence, AI derivatives, and smart campuses.

4G changed life, 5G changed industries, and 6G will reshape the world. People call it the "Internet of Everything." Connecting everything in the world with communication technology, with holographic interaction, sensory interaction, and intelligent interaction, the future communication system will achieve the integration of air, land, and sea.

China's 6G: A Promising Future

In the process of realizing this vision, China has always been at the forefront. With the most patents, successful small-scale testing, and significant competitive advantages in 6G communication technology, it's no wonder foreign media openly state that America's 6G curveball is out of the question.

In Conclusion

Use one generation, build one generation, research and develop one generation is a common consensus in the communication industry. Therefore, after the large-scale commercialization of 5G, countries around the world have started to research and develop 6G. The changes it will bring will be a revolution in the communication era. Even with China's current advantages, we must not slack off on this path into the future.

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