After the advent of 5G, some companies and countries are looking to the future of connectivity: 6G. Tests for it have already begun and China has just put into orbit the first low altitude satellite specially designed for this network standard.
The connectivity market is evolving. While 5G is becoming more widespread in Europe, the industry is not waiting and is researching and testing to create the following network standard continue.
While some, like Qualcomm, are trying to improve 5G by adding a dose of AI in the form of 5G Advanced, others instead focus on 6G. This standard is far from being marketable but tests concerning it have progressed recently.
Indeed, several nations and companies are carrying out various experiments in order to get out of the game. The goal is to be the first to offer this new network standard. This is particularly the case for China, which has just launched its premier satellite 6G low altitude.
China Mobile launches first low-altitude 6G satellite
The China Mobile company took care of the launch. The satellite must orbit at a height of 500 kilometers. A relatively low altitude which will ultimately make it possible to offer a rate of high data transfer and reduce latency. Enough to compete with the best 5G networks whose satellites are generally located at much higher heights.
On the other hand, despite the efforts of China Mobile or Samsung, 6G should not not be democratized before 2030 as soon as possible. This is not the first satellite put into orbit by China Mobile, the company having already launched a 5G space object in the past.
According to China Daily, to whom we owe this information, this is the first test satellite in low orbit in the world to use 6G connectivity. This supports various features specially designed for promote the new network standard.
China Mobile wishes to offer a reliable service through the use of software and hardware developed in-house. These should support rebuilding the software, deployment of network functions as well as their automated management.
6G is still far away but it’s approaching
Regardless, it is interesting to see that the research on the 6G advance in this way. The standard that must succeed 5G is still far but little by little the future of network connectivity is taking shape.
Taking into account the current capabilities of 5G, the arrival of a standard even faster has something to delight users. Qualcomm and its 5G Advanced are already capable of reaching impressive speeds thanks to the use of its Snapdragon X75 modem.
Obviously, the launch of this satellite will not be not the only one that China Mobile wishes to operate. The company says it wants carry out other launches in the future. On the other hand, it has not revealed a specific timetable for these additional satellites into orbit.
- Research and testing on the network standard to replace 5G is progressing.
- The company China Mobile has just put its first low altitude 6G satellite into orbit.
- The new network standard is still a long way off and it is not expected to be democratized before 2030.
Source : China Daily