Sci-Tech

Behind 200000 satellites, 6G accelerates resource allocation

2026-01-22   

Recently, China successfully launched 19 sets of low orbit satellites for the Internet. Previously, China had submitted frequency orbit resource applications for 203000 satellites to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), setting a new record for the scale of a single frequency orbit application in China. Industry insiders believe that China's recent intensive layout in the low orbit satellite field is not only a clear signal of accelerating the construction of space information infrastructure, but also contains profound considerations for the global strategic resource allocation in the 6G era, demonstrating China's systematic layout capability in the aerospace communication field. Low Earth orbit and spectrum are scarce strategic resources that are non renewable and can be regarded as the core of global space competition. According to authoritative industry estimates, low Earth orbit (200 kilometers to 2000 kilometers above the Earth's surface) can accommodate up to about 175000 satellites, and the total number of satellites declared to ITU by countries around the world has far exceeded this limit. Under the ITU's "first come, first served" rule, the competition for frequency track resources has entered a white hot stage. The large-scale submission of satellite frequency orbit resource applications by our country this time is a strategic layout carried out within the scope of international rules, with the core goal of seizing scarce space resources and building an independent and controllable space-based information network. ”Wang Ren, Deputy General Manager of Zhongke Tianzhi Yunkong (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd., stated that this measure will promote China's aerospace industry to move from single point technological breakthroughs to large-scale implementation, and open up new development space for multiple fields such as 6G communication. Wang Ren further added that although the declaration focuses on communication constellations, the key to the integration of 6G air, space, and earth lies in the integration of multiple technologies, which will inevitably drive the coordinated development of communication, remote sensing, and AI technologies. Specifically, communication satellites are responsible for providing data transmission services with wide coverage, while remote sensing satellites undertake high-precision Earth observation tasks. The deep combination of the two can unleash complete value and provide a composite service of "wide coverage+high precision" for various industries, such as playing an important role in communication security and global environmental monitoring in remote areas. He Xuan, the planning director of satellite manufacturing company Sederet, stated that this strategic initiative will provide comprehensive traction and empowerment to multiple industries upstream and downstream, and stimulate a trillion dollar market size. According to data from the China Commerce Industry Research Institute, by 2030, China plans to build a giant constellation of over 13000 low Earth orbit satellites, which is expected to directly drive an industrial chain scale of over 1.2 trillion yuan. The mandatory compliance requirements of ITU have also become a catalyst for the upgrading of China's aerospace industry. According to ITU regulations, after declaring frequency orbit resources, the first satellite must be put into orbit within 7 years and full deployment must be completed within 14 years. Failure to fulfill obligations within the deadline will result in weakened or even cancelled resource priority. This rigid constraint is driving China's aerospace industry to bid farewell to the past model of "customized production and high cost operation", accelerate the transformation towards standardization, mass production, and low cost, and force core links such as satellite manufacturing and rocket launch to break through technological and production capacity bottlenecks. The industry generally believes that China's satellite manufacturing field will take the lead in completing the leap from customization to standardized mass production. At present, the production mode of "standardized platform+modular payload" has been gradually promoted, which is expected to reduce the manufacturing cost of a single satellite from tens of millions of yuan to millions of yuan. At ZTE's northern headquarters in Yizhuang, Beijing, the Beijing 6G Ecological Exhibition Hall showcases the phased achievements in the 6G field. The relevant person in charge of ZTE stated that the large-scale development, mass production, and delivery of high reliability and low-cost satellite payloads are key variables affecting the rapid deployment of China's low orbit constellation. To build a satellite ground integrated communication network for 6G, ZTE is leveraging its advantages in communication technology and industry chain integration to create a full range of satellite payload products to assist in the efficient deployment of constellations. "In the field of 6G and space Internet, Sedrette's positioning is' space Internet intelligent hardware manufacturer and modular solution provider '. ”He Xuan revealed that the company will develop the next generation of more universal, lightweight, and high-performance satellites based on existing mature satellite products, integrating on-board intelligent processing capabilities, achieving deep collaboration with ground 6G networks, and better adapting to the practical application needs of various industries. Satellite application scenarios are also moving from pilot demonstrations to large-scale penetration. With the wide coverage and high timeliness data support capabilities of low orbit constellations, satellite applications have extended from traditional major engineering and disaster emergency rescue to areas such as agricultural monitoring, environmental governance, intelligent transportation, and smart cities for people's livelihoods. For example, in the field of agriculture, real-time monitoring of soil moisture and crop growth in farmland across the country can be achieved through satellite remote sensing and communication collaboration, which helps to promote the development of precision agriculture and lays the foundation for building a diversified application ecosystem for 6G. In the supporting industries, the demand for computing power and AI will experience explosive growth. According to estimates, the daily data generated by 203000 satellites will reach PB level (1PB=1024TB). Traditional ground data processing methods are unable to cope with such a huge computing power demand, which will give rise to a collaborative new model of "on-board intelligent computing+ground computing power cluster". Wang Ren stated that the industry needs to focus on tackling lightweight AI models and low-power on-board chips, promoting the deep integration of domestic computing power and remote sensing algorithms, building a satellite ground collaborative intelligent system, and providing support for efficient processing of massive data in the 6G era. In addition, industry insiders such as He Xuan pointed out that the declared quantity of 203000 is not the final actual deployment quantity. The ITU declaration mechanism is essentially an application for "pre coordination rights of frequency and orbit resources", rather than a satellite launch commitment. Therefore, in the context of increasingly fierce global competition for low Earth orbit resources, in order to win this resource slot race that spans space and the ground, a systematic layout is still needed to promote the qualitative change of China's aerospace industry from technological breakthroughs to large-scale landing, lay a solid foundation for the 6G aerospace integrated network, and help China firmly grasp the initiative in global communication competition. (New Society)

Edit:Momo Responsible editor:Chen zhaozhao

Source:Economic Information Daily

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