INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
As technology rapidly advances, 6G, the next-generation wireless technology after 5G, has emerged as a global focal point in the race for
next-generation communication. Speaking at the Global 6G Conference 2025 on Thursday, Wu Hequan, an academic at the Chinese Academy of
Engineering, predicted that smartphones will evolve into artificial intelligence terminals as China works to commercialize 6G around 2030,
empowering users to create content more efficiently and spurring a new wave of information consumption.According to Wu, communication
technologies are undergoing fundamental transformations from 5G to 6G."From 1G to 4G, we saw a relatively smooth progression from voice
communication to data services," he said
The focus during those generations remained largely on consumer services, with a clear technical path relying on modulation, coding, and
multiple access technologies.However, the arrival of 5G changed the game
In addition to serving consumers, 5G was designed to support a broad range of industries
Unlike consumer applications, which tend to be universal, industrial applications often require highly customized solutions. Since China
rolled out commercial 5G in 2019, download speeds have increased seven- to eightfold compared to 4G, said Wu
Despite this, Wu noted that user experience may have fallen short of initial expectations, especially in industrial applications, which have
developed more slowly than anticipated
These gaps, he said, pose new challenges for 6G development."6G still needs to prioritize mass-market consumer applications," Wu said
"With the rise of AI, we may see new types of terminal devices emerge in the 6G era
But that also brings uncertainty to how consumer applications will evolve."Yu Xiaohu, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and
director of Purple Mountain Laboratories, told media at the conference on Thursday that 6G is not simply about faster speeds
Instead, he highlighted breakthroughs in integrated sensing and low-altitude communications as game changers that will open new avenues for
innovation."In the 6G era, data, AI, and business operations will become tightly intertwined," Yu said
"Together with industrial network technologies, this will form a super-converged system, a powerful technological toolbox combining
communications, computing, AI, and industrial control."According to Yu, this could help resolve several of the limitations currently facing
5G in industrial settings.With China targeting 2030 for commercial 6G deployment, Wu envisioned a major leap similar to the iPhone's impact
in 2007, transforming mobile phones from simple tools into smart devices."The combination of AI terminals and 6G will significantly enhance
users' content creation capabilities," he said
"That will fuel a new wave of information consumption and usher in the next evolution of mobile devices, meeting strong and growing demand
from the public."The Global 6G Conference 2025 is scheduled to run from April 10 to 12 in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province
With "Frontier Innovation Driving 6G Development" as its core theme, the event focuses on the global 6G vision consensus and
