MIIT Pushes Dual 10-Gigabit Network Evolution and 6G R&D at MWC26 Shanghai
At the MWC26 Shanghai opening ceremony on Tuesday, Zhong Zhihong, Chief Engineer of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), laid out a sweeping vision for the country’s next-generation digital infrastructure — one that moves decisively beyond the current dual-gigabit era toward dual 10-gigabit connectivity, while simultaneously accelerating 6G research and building a space-air-ground integrated information network.
Speaking to industry leaders and policymakers, Zhong emphasized that China must maintain a “moderately超前” (moderately ahead-of-demand) posture in infrastructure investment. “We must strengthen the planning and construction of next-generation communication networks and computing power networks, advance the evolution from dual-gigabit to dual-10-gigabit, and accelerate the establishment of a multi-tier computing power facility system,” he said, according to The Paper.
The dual-gigabit policy — covering both wired fiber and 5G wireless networks — has been a cornerstone of China’s digital strategy in recent years. The explicit call for a transition to dual-10-gigabit signals that the ministry sees bandwidth demands continuing to outstrip current capacity, driven by AI workloads, immersive media, and industrial automation.
6G Takes Center Stage
Zhong devoted significant attention to 6G, urging faster progress on core technology R&D and standard-setting. He called for “forward-looking layout and cultivation of 6G-oriented application ecosystems” and stressed the need to strengthen innovation in artificial intelligence, quantum technology, and embodied intelligence — all fields the ministry views as pillars of future industrial competitiveness.
The speech comes just weeks after the MIIT issued a formal notice launching a 6G Innovation Development Ministry-Province Joint Pilot Initiative, a coordinated effort aligned with the newly released 15th Five-Year Plan. The pilot aims to leverage China’s whole-of-nation approach — pooling resources from central and local governments alongside enterprise R&D — to push forward 6G technology development, industrial ecosystem formation, and application scenario exploration.
International Cooperation
On the global stage, Zhong struck a collaborative tone. He called on governments, international organizations, and industry players to “uphold the principles of openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation,” deepen multi-level international partnerships, and jointly safeguard a unified global 6G standard.
He further advocated for building a widely accepted global governance framework for artificial intelligence, one that maintains a fair, just, and transparent development environment — a pointed reference to ongoing geopolitical tensions around AI regulation and technology supply chains.
The dual-10-gigabit target, combined with the 6G pilot program and parallel investments in low-altitude information infrastructure and satellite internet, paints a picture of a coordinated push to build what Zhong termed a “space-air-ground integrated information network” — an all-encompassing connectivity fabric that would span terrestrial, aerial, and orbital layers by the 2030s.