The 6G Global Perspectives Forum is held in Nanjing city, Jiangsu province on April 16, 2024. (COURTESY PHOTO)

By YU Haoyuan

The 6G Global Perspectives Forum held today served as the pilot event of the 2024 Global 6G Conference, which is scheduled for tomorrow and will last for two days, attracting researchers from around the world. They shared insights into 6G technology, reflected on their nations' experiences with 5G and 6G, and advocated for future collaboration and joint research efforts.

Currently in the era of 5.5G, or in a phase of 6G R&D, the world is still quite far way from the actual usage of 6G. However, recently the International Communication Union released the "Framework and Overall Objectives of the Future Development of IMT for 2030 and Beyond," which sees 6G emerging as the new strategic technology in the next wave of technology revolution and industrial transformation. Governments, businesses, and academicians around the world are therefore accelerating their investment in 6G technology research and infrastructure construction.

During the forum, most experts considered 6G as an upgrade of 5G and representing an integration of multiple cutting-edge technologies, promising a new era of connectivity and innovation.

It is believed that 6G will accomplish what 5G Advance has not, and it will turn 5G's "Internet of Everything" into "Intelligent connection of Everything," which could be used in different scenarios, such as smart cities, smart homes and a healthcare anywhere ecosystem.

"Internationalization and openness are fundamental characteristics and values of 6G, and the unified standard is the endogenous demand of technology. Therefore, the 6G's R&D needs global cooperation and collaboration," said Wen Ku, president of the China Communications Standard Association.