China has officially commenced the second phase of its 6G technical trials, marking a significant milestone in the country's push to lead the development of next-generation wireless communication technology. The announcement came on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, from Xie Cun, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and head of its Information and Communications Development Department, during a press conference held by the State Council Information Office in Beijing.
According to Xie, the first phase of 6G technical trials—focused on identifying and verifying key technologies—has been successfully completed. This phase, which spanned four consecutive years of intensive research and testing, has resulted in a substantial reserve of more than 300 key 6G technologies. These advancements cover critical areas such as integrated sensing and communication, ultra-high-speed data transmission, artificial intelligence-enhanced networks, terahertz spectrum utilization, and cell-free massive MIMO systems, laying a solid foundation for subsequent development stages.
The second phase, now underway, shifts emphasis to technical solution trials. It involves developing and testing 6G prototypes tailored to typical application scenarios and performance requirements. This includes building system-level demonstrations, refining integrated technical solutions, and validating end-to-end performance in controlled environments. The trials are expected to accelerate the maturation of 6G standards, foster an application-oriented industrial ecosystem, and prepare for the eventual third phase of system networking trials, which will focus on pre-commercial equipment and large-scale testing.
This structured roadmap—key technology trials (phase one), technical solution trials (phase two), and system networking trials (phase three)—reflects China's systematic approach to 6G R&D. The MIIT has coordinated national efforts through initiatives like the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group, involving major players such as Huawei, ZTE, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, and research institutions like Purple Mountain Laboratories.
The announcement underscores China's robust foundation in current-generation technology. Xie highlighted that the country has built the world's largest and most advanced information infrastructure, with over 4.8 million 5G base stations deployed nationwide—far surpassing any other nation—and more than 1.2 billion 5G users, accounting for approximately 65.9% of all mobile subscribers in China. This massive scale has enabled widespread coverage, extending 5G to all townships and 95% of administrative villages, supporting applications in industrial internet, smart cities, telemedicine, and autonomous driving.
Furthermore, China maintains a commanding lead in intellectual property for next-generation networks. The country holds 42% of global declarations of 5G standard-essential patents, demonstrating its influence in shaping international standards. For 6G, reports indicate China accounts for around 40.3% of global patent applications as of mid-2025, with companies like Huawei contributing significantly (approximately 15% of the worldwide share in some assessments). This patent dominance positions China to play a pivotal role in defining 6G global standards through bodies like the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and 3GPP.
6G, envisioned as the successor to 5G, promises transformative capabilities. It targets peak data rates exceeding 1 terabit per second (100–1,000 times faster than 5G), ultra-low latency as low as 100 microseconds (compared to 5G's 1 millisecond), massive connectivity supporting trillions of devices per square kilometer, and integrated sensing, computing, and AI functionalities. These features will enable revolutionary applications, including holographic communications, immersive extended reality (XR), digital twins for industries, centimeter-level precise positioning, remote surgery with haptic feedback, and seamless integration of terrestrial, aerial, and satellite networks for global coverage.
Experts view 6G not merely as an evolution of mobile broadband but as a foundational infrastructure for the intelligent digital society. It will fuse communication with sensing (for environmental awareness), computing (for edge intelligence), and intelligence (for autonomous optimization), supporting China's broader goals in AI, humanoid robotics, advanced manufacturing, and the digital economy.
The launch of the second phase aligns with national priorities outlined in the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), which emphasizes breakthroughs in emerging and future industries. MIIT officials have stressed accelerating 6G R&D while promoting global cooperation on standards, spectrum allocation, and applications to maximize shared benefits and avoid fragmentation.
While China leads in deployment scale, patent filings, and trial progression, the global 6G race remains competitive. The United States, South Korea, Japan, the European Union (through initiatives like Hexa-X), and India are advancing their own programs, with ITU targeting initial 6G recommendations by 2028–2029 and commercial rollout around 2030. China's early mover advantage—bolstered by its vast 5G ecosystem—could influence standard-setting and ecosystem development.
The MIIT's update also comes amid broader tech ambitions, including AI model breakthroughs, humanoid robot benchmarks, and industrial integration of emerging technologies. As 2026 begins, the second-phase trials represent a concrete step toward realizing 6G's potential, reinforcing China's strategy to drive innovation-led growth and secure leadership in future digital infrastructure.
