China’s SASAC Urges Acceleration of 6G Commercial Loop
China’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) has called on central enterprises to accelerate the achievement of a 6G commercial loop by incubating new scenarios and business models, signaling Beijing’s determination to lead the next generation of telecommunications technology.
At the Central Enterprise 6G Future Industry Promotion Meeting held on August 20, SASAC Deputy Director Li Zhen outlined a four-pronged strategy covering technology gaps, industrial foundations, international cooperation, and application ecosystem development. The meeting, attended by officials from 31 central enterprises involved in the 6G future industry, also released the “Central Enterprise 6G Future Industry Scenario Co-creation Task” and featured an exhibition of 6G achievements, according to Xinhua News.
Strategic Push Within National Framework
The meeting emphasized that promoting the 6G future industry is an inevitable requirement for central enterprises to implement national strategic deployment and fulfill strategic missions. The SASAC announcement stressed that central enterprises should actively align with national, local, and industry plans to accelerate industrial development goals.
This push is part of China’s broader “15th Five-Year Plan” (2026-2030), which explicitly proposes promoting 6G and other future industries as new economic growth points. The 2026 Government Work Report also listed 6G among future industries to cultivate, positioning it alongside quantum technology, embodied intelligence, and brain-computer interfaces.
Four Priority Areas for 6G Development
The meeting deployed work across four key directions. First, filling technology gaps by strengthening basic theory innovation and driving breakthroughs in key technology components to build a secure and stable 6G industry chain. Second, consolidating the industrial foundation through innovation platform construction, market entity cultivation, and talent development. Third, accelerating international cooperation to build a diversified cooperation system and enhance international discourse power. Fourth, incubating scenarios and business models by actively promoting integration of 6G technology with the real economy.
Gou Husheng, Chairman of China International Engineering Consulting Corporation, told Yicai that global technology competition is increasingly fierce, and future industries such as 6G have become core tracks for reshaping the global economic landscape. He called for leveraging central enterprises’ “patient capital” and strategic support functions to serve as the “main force” of future industries.
Industry Momentum and Technology Milestones
China has made significant progress in 6G development. The country has completed the first phase of 6G technology trials, formed over 300 key technology reserves, and approved 6GHz band test frequency licenses for 6G trials. The second phase of trials is now underway, as Lianhe Zaobao reported.
Major central enterprises are accelerating their 6G efforts. China Mobile has deployed 6G-AI integration technology in 5G-A first trials across scenarios including the Suzhou Super League, National Games, and Fujian Metro. Huang Yuhong, Dean of China Mobile Research Institute, said that two-way empowerment of network and AI is the most important application scenario for 6G, and that the company will expand 6G technology reserves, position for standard setting, and accelerate application cultivation.
China Telecom completed the industry’s first 6G high-orbit plus medium-orbit satellite coordinated networking technology test, reducing handover latency from over 300 milliseconds to just 26 milliseconds. The company has also laid out its 6G Universal Intelligent Network (UIN) with applications in industrial internet and smart city scenarios.
Expert Perspectives on 6G Applications
Zhao Gang, President of Saizhi Industrial Research Institute, told Securities Times that 6G technology offers full-domain coverage, ultra-high bandwidth, extremely low latency, endogenous intelligence, and communication-sensing integration capabilities. These features make it particularly well-suited for immersive communications, industrial digital twin manufacturing, low-altitude economy, embodied intelligence, and smart ocean applications.
According to Communications World, China has also approved satellite IoT commercial trials for companies including Beijing Guodian Gaoke Technology and Zhejiang Space-Time Daoyu Technology, laying groundwork for the space-air-ground integrated network that is central to 6G’s vision.
Commercial Timeline and Market Potential
According to research from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), 6G commercial applications are expected to launch around 2030, with large-scale commercial deployment by 2035. This could potentially form a trillion-yuan level 6G industry and application market.
China’s approach to 6G emphasizes leveraging its advantages in AI and mobile communications scale markets, combined with rich application scenarios. As People’s Daily noted, China’s strategic planning and execution have been key to its past success in telecommunications, from rural network construction to urban renewal projects.
What to Watch
As the second phase of 6G technology trials progresses, key developments to monitor include the release of 6G standards, further frequency allocations, and the emergence of concrete application scenarios from central enterprises. The global race for 6G leadership remains intense, with the United States announcing a research alliance with 24 countries and aiming for deployment ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. China’s coordinated national push through SASAC and its central enterprise network positions it as a formidable competitor in shaping the future of global telecommunications.