BEIJING, June 4 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Thursday launched a joint ministry-provincial collaborative pilot program for 6G innovation and development. The project aims to provide strong support for the future commercial rollout of 6G.

Key priorities include advancing frontier 6G technologies, deepening integration of communications with artificial intelligence, satellite internet, and wireless sensing, as well as stepping up research and development on 6G base stations, core network equipment, terminals, chips, and operating systems.

Pilot regions will explore 6G use cases tailored to local conditions, targeting sectors such as immersive communications, industrial manufacturing, low-altitude economy, embodied intelligence, and smart maritime operations.

MIIT said it will monitor 6G developments closely and adjust pilot plans accordingly. The ministry will also organize technology trials through the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group and prioritize hosting major 6G industry conferences in pilot regions.

The move comes as China seeks to build on its advantages in next-generation communications. The country currently leads the world in 5G development, boasting the largest 5G network infrastructure globally, with millions of base stations deployed nationwide and a commanding share of global 5G connections.

Compared with 5G, 6G can deliver performance improvements of 10 to 100 times in transmission speed, latency, and reliability. Its coverage is expected to extend seamlessly across aerial, space, ground, and maritime domains, forming a truly ubiquitous global network. As such, 6G will serve as the neural nexus driving the digital transformation of future intelligent societies and industries.

China has approved trial spectrum in the 6GHz band for 6G technology development, the ministry said in early May.

The approval, granted to the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group, authorizes 6G technology trials in selected regions. The move is aimed at advancing technical research, testing and validation based on the key scenarios and performance indicators defined by the International Telecommunication Union for 6G.

The promotion group, established in June 2019 by MIIT, is the main platform for bringing together China's industry, university, and research efforts, promoting China's 6G mobile communication technology research, and fostering international exchanges and cooperation.■