China launched what it claimed is the first 6G experimental satellite to test communications from space using high-frequency terahertz spectrum.

The China Embassy in the US tweeted that the supposed “6G” satellite was one of 13 aboard the Long March-6 rocket, which launched on November 6 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province.
[ad]
The 70kg 6G test satellite aims to verify the performance of data transmission using terahertz spectrum and will test a number of smart cities, environmental protection, and disaster prevention applications, such as crop and forest fire monitoring, China Global Television Network reported.

The next-generation mobile access technology, which won’t have formal specifications worked out for a number of years, has started to gain momentum as major industry players back a launch as early as 2030.

Samsung expects the ITU-R to begin work on 6G in 2021, with the standard to be completed as early as 2028, opening the door to the earliest deployments in ten years.
[ad]
The challenges to 6G are many, including requiring 100-times the data throughput of 5G and sub-millisecond latency, AT&T executive Mazin Gilbert said at the 6G Symposium last month.

In mid-October US operators Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile US, and US Cellular joined other operators under the guise of the Next G Alliance, aiming to steer the development of 6G and establish North America as a global leader in the technology.

NTT Docomo in Japan started early moves to develop 6G technology in January with a goal of a commercial launch by 2030, and in May China Unicom and ZTE signed a strategic agreement to develop 6G technologies.
[ad]