China has set a new speed record for 6G technology. China Mobile announced that its small-scale test network has reached data transfer speeds of 280 Gbps. According to an announcement made at the 2025 China Internet Conference, this speed allowed a 50 GB file to be transferred in just 1.4 seconds. This data transfer speed exceeds the theoretical limits of current 5G infrastructure by approximately 14 times and surpasses many wired connection types.

China Sets Speed Record for 6G Technology

China Mobile is leading four major scientific and technological 6G projects across China. To date, the company has directly participated in the development of 10 core 6G-related technologies. The test network has been tested at 10 different field stations so far, and the results indicate that the speed is capable of downloading a 4K Blu-ray movie every two seconds.

This performance was supported by China Mobile’s total R&D investment of 39.1 billion yuan (approximately $5.46 billion). Not limited to ground-based tests, the company has also made significant strides in data transmission via low-orbit satellites.

The first 6G test satellite, launched into orbit last year, operates at an altitude of just 500 kilometers and offers high bandwidth and low latency, enabling more efficient data transfer compared to traditional communications satellites operating at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers.

Global plans project 6G technology to be commercially available by 2030. However, the scale and pace of testing in China suggest this timeline could be pushed back even earlier. China Mobile’s trials stand out as the most concrete and measurable 6G initiative to date.