US begins planning for 6G rollout

Washington: The US government is drawing up plans for the eventual use of 6G networks, hoping to give Washington a technological edge in the future amid concerns over Beijings rapid advances in the telecommunications sector.

The White House met with corporate leaders, technology officials and academic experts to develop strategies for upcoming 6G networks on Friday, senior US officials confirmed to multiple news outlets, RT reported.

The administration seeks to “take the lessons learned from 5G about the importance of early involvement and resilience” and use them to develop a 6G network which “optimizes performance, accessibility, and security”, one government staffer added.

While 6G technology is still in its infancy and is likely years away from use by the general public, it is expected to be significantly faster than the current 5G networks, and to dramatically expand high-speed internet access across the globe, RT reported.

In late 2020, China successfully launched an experimental satellite carrying candidates for possible 6G technology, hoping to verify the performance of the 6G frequency band in space.

Another administration official noted China’s technological gains in recent years, namely in the rollout of its own 5G network, saying Beijing had used the tech to advance national security goals and grow its global market share in the telecoms industry, RT reported.

Huawei is preparing for its own rollout of 6G technology, and says it hopes to launch the ultra-fast networks by 2030.