Deal inked to accelerate pace of 6G development
Billions of users will benefit from updated wireless connections, including 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and future 6G services that will be available around 2030.
The new services will boost mobile communications speeds and optimize wireless connections between various smart devices, which is useful in VR/AR development and industrial automation.
The China Academy of Information and Communications Technology and the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission inked a collaboration agreement on 6G innovation development in Shanghai on Tuesday. The collaboration encompasses strategy creation, technology development, testing and innovation platforms, transforming 6G into a "bridge between the real and digital worlds."
The development of 6G, the next-generation standard after 5G, is still in its early stages, with no proven technologies or specifications. According to industry insiders, the collaboration between the two parties will accelerate China's 6G development and contribute to Shanghai's strategy to construct itself as a smart and digital metropolis.
In comparison, more technological advancements are presently available and will be commercially available by the end of this year.
With Qualcomm's new Snapdragon platform, unveiled on Wednesday, smartphone 5G bandwidth will reach up to 10 Gigabytes per second (GBPS), 43 percent faster than the previous platform.
The new 5G chipset, which uses artificial intelligence, provides "smooth and fast connectivity for streaming, gaming and more," according to Qualcomm.
Honor, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi and ZTE are among the Chinese firms projected to introduce new phones by the end of 2022, with more products available the following year.
On Thursday, Qualcomm introduced Snapdragon AR 2, a platform designed specifically for augmented reality devices. It has Wi-Fi 7 technology and less than 2 mini-second latency between the AR glasses and the smartphone in terms of connectivity optimization. The AR 2 will be used in Lenovo, Nreal, and Pico AR glasses.
AR/VR, which is opening a portal to the metaverse, is being supported by national policy and rising investment.
By 2026, China's virtual reality business will be worth more than 350 billion yuan (US$48.6 billion). According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, virtual reality and augmented reality investment in China more than doubled in 2021.
According to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, or SIG, an industry group, the new 6 GHz frequency band has been adopted within Bluetooth as a standard, covering over five billion goods shipped every year.
The new frequency band provides increased data throughput, lower latency, and greater positioning accuracy. The transition into the 6 GHz spectrum region "paves the way for the next 20 years of Bluetooth innovation," Bluetooth SIG said on Wednesday.
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Sep 10, 2026
