6G should not be a geopolitical battlefield: China Daily editorial

Wireless communications technology has flourished over the past several decades thanks in part to the universally implemented standards that high-tech giants from different countries have jointly defined. As a result, billions of people worldwide are connected closer than ever before, and their livelihoods have been markedly improved.

Now even while the latest 5G technology is still being rolled out, the arrival of the next generation of mobile communications technology is being heralded. 6G is said to be more than 10 times faster than 5G, and is expected to enable fully autonomous driving, high-definition virtual reality and smoother internet connections, even in remote deserts.

Yet in reality, the prospects for its deployment are not very bright, given the intensified tech war being waged against China by the United States.

Although 6G communications networks are expected to be rolled out commercially as early as 2030, there has so far been no sign of countries willing to work together to agree upon key technical standards on frequencies, signal modulations and waveforms.

In fact, the US seems to be trying to form a technology alliance that excludes China in an intensified race to dominate the 6G sector. This will undoubtedly hamper the worldwide application of the technology. After imposing sanctions on Chinese telecommunications equipment giant Huawei and pressuring its allies to ban its 5G products and networks, Washington is now trying to prevent any Chinese company from taking lead in 6G. The US has launched a Next G Alliance initiative to "advance North American leadership in 6G", with its members comprising such tech giants as Google, Apple, IBM and Microsoft.

"China is setting the standards for the future," US Senator Mark Warner, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, told POLITICO, adding that the West won't win the next battle without teaming up. "We shouldn't push company winners, but we need to pick technologies and make joint investments."

The US and Japan have agreed to jointly invest $4.5 billion for 6G development. The US is also cooperating with the Republic of Korea on emerging technologies including 6G. All this indicates that Washington is trying to make sure that 6G technology development serves its political objectives. Chinese companies such as Huawei are the global leaders in the research and development of 6G technology, accounting for around 40 percent of the global 6G-related patents. Excluding them from the global 6G rollout will destroy the global technology eco-system and hurt the interests of all participants, including the US itself.

Global cooperation, rather than political confrontation, is the only way for countries to achieve unified 6G standards. And unified 6G standards that are globally inclusive would be for the common good of all people.