6g satellite rocket launched by China
Thomas Nelson
Thomas Nelson
December 25, 2023 ·  2 min read

China Has Launched the World’s First 6G Satellite. We Don’t Even Know What 6G Is Yet.

While the world is only just starting the roll-out of the new 5G network, China has already gone one step further. On November 6, they launched a 6G satellite into orbit. The problem? We don’t even have a definition of what 6G is yet. (1)

China Launches 6G Satellite

China launched what’s being called the world’s first 6G satellite into orbit earlier this month from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the Shanxi Province. The satellite went up along with 12 other satellites to begin the testing process. (1)

The telecoms industry, however, has only just begun launching the 5G network and is nowhere close to developing standards for the 6G. This tech may or may not qualify by the time those are decided upon. (1)

That being said, the technology is rather exciting. Not only will it be several times faster than the already fast 5G network, but it has other potential benefits as well. (1) The 6G network will be able to (1):

  • Monitor potential crop disasters
  • Help forest fire prevention

It will still be several years until this new network is actually used around the world. (1)

The Current 5G Network

5G networks are still extremely new and are not even very widely used yet. They operate between 30 and 300 gigahertz millimeter-wave frequencies, which are 10 to 100 times higher than those provided by 4G. (2)

A global partnership called 3GPP creates the definitions and standards for all generations of cellular broadband networks. They have not yet given a clear definition of the 6G network. (2)

It is of course inevitable that 6G will one day replace 5G, as technology will continue to grow and improve. With all of the controversy surrounding the release of the 5G network, however, it will be interesting to see if 6G has the same questions put against it. (2)

Keep Reading: Nokia wins NASA contract to put a 4G network on the moon. Yes, really.

Sources

  1. ‘China sends ‘world’s first 6G’ test satellite into orbit’ BBC. Published November 7, 2020.
  2. ‘China Has Launched the World’s First 6G Satellite. We Don’t Even Know What 6G Is Yet’ Popular Mechanics Tim Childers. Published November 20, 2020.