While much of the world has yet to profit from a 5G network, the geopolitical race for the next major leap in telecommunications technology has already begun.
The stakes for corporations and governments could not be higher. The first to build and patent 6G would be the biggest winners in the next industrial revolution, according to others.
While it will be at least a decade before it becomes a reality, 6G – which could be up to 100 times faster than 5G’s peak speed – has the potential to offer technology that has long been available. Real-time holograms in flight, as seen in science fiction. Taxis, as well as human bodies and minds, are all connected to the Internet.
Even though 6G is still a theoretical concept, the battle for it is already heating up, highlighting how geopolitics fuels technological rivalries, especially between the US and China.
It’s obvious that policymakers in Washington and Beijing are already thinking about 6G. For example, in early 2019, former President Donald Trump tweeted that he wanted 6G “as soon as possible.”
China has already made strides. According to Canadian media, the country launched a satellite in November to test radio waves for future 6G transmission, and Huawei has a 6G research center in Canada. ZTE, a telecommunications equipment manufacturer, is also working on the technology with China Unicom Hong Kong.
