BEIJING, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- At a test site in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing, monitoring systems, using the 6G network's powerful computing and sensing capabilities, identified an "unauthorized" drone in 0.1 seconds, instantly displaying its model and key characteristics.

This was a new-tech scenario explored by Purple Mountain Laboratories (PMLabs), whose engineers built a pioneering 6G cell-free field testbed, delivering at least 10-fold gains in range, capacity and spectrum efficiency over 5G.

Over the next five years, China is set to turn next-gen industries, including 6G mobile communications, into new engines of economic growth. Its leading 6G research institution, PMLabs, is now carving out a niche in the drone market.

During an emergency drill simulating a storage tank fire accident in June, PMLabs' 6G cell-free technology was leveraged to control a drone swarm to complete its mission.

Also, at an innovation park on Beijing's northern outskirts, a 6G-enabled robot training ground is already live, testing how the new communication tech will power tomorrow's intelligent machines.

China's economic policymakers now view the creation and rollout of new application scenarios as the bridge that marries technology to industry and research to the market.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China has been conducting 6G technology trials for four consecutive years. The first phase has now been completed, yielding more than 300 key technical achievements.

In the future, 6G tech is expected to fuel complex remote surgery, centimeter-accurate indoor navigation, high-level assisted driving, and the intelligent connection of massive numbers of devices.

SPACE INFRASTRUCTURE

This week, China Telecom, Tsinghua University, and industry partners used a satellite 20,000 km above to verify links for the polar regions, open oceans, and the coming 6G era. It achieved a peak downlink speed of 140 Mbps, demonstrating reliable high-speed data transmission directly from satellite to user device.

Part of the Smart SkyNet medium-Earth-orbit fleet now being built, the satellite will deliver gap-free coverage and, together with low-Earth-orbit (LEO) constellations, weave a unified space-ground 6G network.

This was the latest move by the Chinese telecom operator to develop 6G technology. The telecom giant has also launched a visual 6G satellite-access simulator to validate mega LEO constellations.

So far, China has launched 13 groups of satellites to expand its internet constellation. The country also put a specified 6G architecture-verification satellite into orbit last year.

The fusion of satellite internet with ground-based stations is hailed as one of 6G's three hallmarks, alongside the convergence of communications and sensing, and of communications and AI.

PACEMAKER

Recently, a Chinese team unveiled an AI-powered ultra-broadband optoelectronic chip that delivers high-speed links across a frequency range from 0.5 GHz to 115 GHz. The work appeared in Nature, promising faster, rock-solid 6G links.

"It's like adding a super-highway: signals can switch lanes the moment one clogs, so data never sits in traffic," said Wang Xingjun from Peking University, who led the research.

A growing array of 6G breakthroughs and patents is amplifying China's influence in global standard-setting in this field. An industry report shows that as of June 2025, China holds 40.3 percent of global 6G patents, ranking first worldwide.

In its push to commercialize 6G by 2030, China has established the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group. A key step in this initiative is the official allocation of the 6GHz spectrum for 5G and 6G use.

"This gives China a louder voice from standard-setting to commercial rollout," said Bai Siwei, an Internet of Things expert.