China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has approved trial spectrum in the 6GHz band for 6G development, enabling real-world testing of next-generation wireless technologies in selected regions. The approval was granted to the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group.
MIIT’s backing is designed to move 6G work beyond lab research and into practical field trials, using performance targets and scenarios defined with reference to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
MIIT clears 6GHz trial spectrum for 6G field tests
The MIIT approval covers 6GHz trial spectrum and allows researchers to begin real-world testing of next-generation wireless technologies in selected regions. MIIT granted the approval to the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group.
Who’s running the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group
The IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group is led by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT). The group includes operators, vendors, and academic institutions, with participants including Huawei, ZTE, Xiaomi, Ericsson and Nokia.
What the trials are meant to validate
The approval enables testing based on performance targets and scenarios defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The trials are expected to focus on testing performance, interference, and networking capabilities using prototype and pre-commercial 6G systems.
China Daily reported that the approval will allow engineers to evaluate signal penetration, interference, and equipment performance under real deployment conditions.
Analyst view: 6GHz could anchor early 6G in China
Guang Yang, senior principal analyst at Omdia, told RCR Wireless News that it’s almost clear the 6GHz band will be the core band for early 6G deployments in China. He added that this matters across the industry chain, including operators, network equipment vendors, device and chipset vendors, components, test instruments, and application developers preparing for 6G.
Yang said vendors can optimize their solutions and designs for the band and obtain experience from early trials.
Timeline and spectrum context
China completed the first phase of its 6G trials in 2025, focused on theoretical research and core technology development. The next phase runs through 2027 and focuses on prototype validation and technical solution testing before broader system-level trials with pre-commercial equipment.
Separately, MIIT identified the 6.425-7.125GHz band for IMT services in 2023 but has not allocated it to any telecom operators.