Lena Li had great hopes when she came to Australia from China in 2019 to study telecommunications engineering.
Her impression is that Australia is an “advanced” country, at the forefront of technology, including the invention of WiFi technology.
But the reality is counterproductive.
“When I use WeChat to make a video call with my parents, the screen will show that the network quality is not good, and then on my mother’s end, it will show that the other party’s network connection is poor,” the 25-year-old college graduate told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ( ABC)’s “Tonight China Show” TV show.
Currently, the promotion of 5G mobile networks in Australia is still in its infancy. But according to an industry white paper released earlier this month, China announced that its 6G network will be put into commercial use within nine years.
Li Lena wants to work for the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei in Australia, but Australia banned Huawei from providing 5G equipment to Australia based on national security considerations before she graduated.
Now, according to reports, Huawei will send two satellites next month to test its potential 6G technology.
However, traditional technology superpowers like the United States are regaining lost ground and are trying to withstand China’s technological challenges by passing new laws and investing record-breaking scientific research funds.
Although 6G technology still remains at the theoretical level to a large extent, and it will take at least ten years of development, the competition for the dominance of the next generation of wireless technology is heating up.
What is 6G? How is it different from 5G?
6G refers to the sixth-generation wireless mobile connection.
The work cycle of mobile network standards is about ten years: from 1G in 1980 to 5G in 2020. Therefore, 6G is expected to be deployed in the 2030s, which is expected to be 100 times the speed of 5G.
Communication expert Professor Branka Vucetic is the director of the Internet of Things and Telecom Center at the University of Sydney.
She and her team have been at the forefront of 5G and 6G research and development in Australia.
She told ABC that 6G will fulfill some of the unfulfilled promises of 5G, with higher reliability and low cost.
“6G will be the main promoter of some new services, for example, the integration of human brains and computers…Robots help us at home and take care of patients or the elderly.
“By the 2030s, self-driving cars will be common, and they will be connected by 6G networks.”
ABC News: Samuel Yang
)So far, how much do we know about 6G in China?
Starting in the same year as the United States, China started 6G research as early as 2018 and included the research and development of this technology as a top priority in the latest five-year plan.
The government stated that 6G technology will be used for smart city construction, disaster prevention and environmental protection.
Professor Greg Austin is the head of the Cyber, Space and Future War Program of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore, and a scholar at the Cyber Security Institute of the University of New South Wales.
Supplied: Greg Austin
)He told the ABC that although there is little information about China’s 6G development stage, there are potential uses for 6G in military and intelligence.
He said: “China’s discussion of 6G in the public domain is actually centered on the potential benefits to the entire society, the potential benefits to general human progress and human development.”
“To determine the specific military or intelligence-related applications of 6G, in a sense, it is still a bit too early.”
Why is Beijing so keen to promote 6G?
In April, the official tabloid “Global Times” reported that the Chinese telecom giant Huawei will launch two satellites in July, “with the purpose of verifying 6G network technology.”
Huawei did not respond to ABC’s request for comment.
In November last year, Chinese media incorrectly reported that China had successfully put “the world‘s first 6G satellite” into orbit, which aroused the surprise of some people, even people in China.
Professor Austin said that reports like this are “typical Chinese propaganda.” According to experts he consulted, “there is no such thing as 6G satellites.”
He said that the truth is that China has sent the first 6G experimental satellite, which can test the potential evolution of 6G.
“But it would be a serious exaggeration to say that China is currently in a leading position in 6G technology.
“The purpose of China’s approach is to convince its citizens and other countries in the world that it is actually doing very well in the technological competition with the United States and its allies.”
Will Huawei face a 6G ban in the future?
Huawei has been banned by the United States and allies including Australia due to cybersecurity issues, such as espionage for the Chinese government and theft of intellectual property rights of foreign technology companies.
Huawei has repeatedly denied these allegations.
According to a newspaper under Channel Nine Entertainment, earlier this year, Huawei urged the Australian government to conduct 6G negotiations with the company to avoid repeating the mistake of banning its equipment on 5G mobile networks.
John Lee, a senior analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin, said that although the U.S. efforts to weaken Huawei’s market dominance are effective, it is still difficult to let the past The global telecommunications industry that has integrated with Chinese companies over the past two decades has decoupled from these companies.
“In my opinion, it is unlikely that the world will split cleanly into a technological field dominated by the United States and a field dominated by China, because most countries believe that decisive alliances with Washington or Beijing are not in their best interests.”
Supplied: Mercator Institute for China Studies
)But Professor Austin believes that doubts about the influence of China’s Internet will continue after the arrival of 6G. This is because China has a record of “infiltrating Western systems to steal information” and repression in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
Professor Austin said: “The position taken by some international intelligence agencies is that if we cannot prevent them from entering these basic systems, then we should not take this risk on 5G, because for certain national infrastructure and security purposes, It will be quite sensitive.”
Professor Austin said that due to the increasing technological tension between China and the United States, the Biden administration may continue to implement the policy of sanctions against Chinese technology companies, but there is room for a more segmented approach.
He said: “Especially with respect to Huawei, many aspects of the implementation of this policy are indeed driven more by hysteria than by actual risks.”
Will China win the 6G competition?
ABC News: Jarrod Fankhauser
)According to China’s national intellectual property information, China owns more than 35% of the world‘s 6G related patents, and the United States owns approximately 18%.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Senate passed an overwhelmingly proportionate new bill to increase research and innovation by 323 billion Australian dollars (250 billion US dollars).
In April of this year, the United States and Japan announced a joint investment equivalent to 5.8 billion Australian dollars (4.5 billion US dollars) to help research, develop and test 6G technology.
“The Chinese government has fallen into a war of hegemony with American technology for various strategic, political and military purposes,” said Professor Austin.
“So we can’t distinguish China’s interest in 6G from China’s interest in artificial intelligence, space travel, or even undersea exploration.”
Professor Faustik said that China is currently leading the development of 5G, and Chinese smartphone manufacturers, telecommunications companies and the Chinese government have all made huge investments in 6G.
She said: “The strategic importance of 5G was previously ignored by Western countries.”
The Next G Alliance was established in October last year. It is a US-led joint organization with members including technology giants Apple, Google, and AT&T. It is “dedicated to advancing North America’s leadership in 6G.”
South Korean and European wireless network and smartphone manufacturers have also begun to develop large-scale 6G research projects and joined the 6G competition.
“If China is ready to exceed the investment scale of the United States and other countries, then by 2025 or 2030, we will witness China’s rapid leadership in 6G technology,” Professor Austin said.
“But more importantly, mankind will benefit from 6G technology. There will be major new breakthroughs, and governments of all countries have the responsibility to try to ensure that scientific and technological progress can achieve common interests, meet demand, and be driven by people.”
At 8pm AEST on Tuesday evening, please watch “Tonight China Show” simultaneously on ABC News Channel or ABC iview. The show will be rebroadcast on the ABC TV channel at 10:20 tonight.
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