The U.S. Seeks to Lead 6G Technology, Forming an Alliance with 25 Countries Excluding China

The United States, which is seeking to counter China in the global mobile communications sector, has brought together its allies to form a partnership for the 6G era. South Korea also took part in the meeting.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), under the United States Department of Commerce, said on its website on the 27th local time that a new partnership involving 25 countries, including the United States, South Korea and Japan, had launched that day. Describing the initiative as "6G Leadership and Security Action," the NTIA said the goal is for governments of trusted partner countries to pursue a shared vision and roadmap to secure leadership in the next-generation global communications sector.
■ Partnership puts Trump's memorandum into action
In a presidential memorandum signed on Dec. 19 last year, U.S. President Donald Trump stressed that "next-generation 6G networks will form the foundation of America's national security, foreign policy and economic prosperity." In the memorandum, he said the United States must lead the 6G era and instructed government agencies to build international partnerships for that purpose. The NTIA said this latest gathering is a concrete implementation of the presidential memorandum. In a press release, the NTIA said member countries agreed to deepen 6G cooperation over the next 12 months and beyond to support the security, interoperability and resilience of next-generation networks. The cooperation will include setting up government contact points, sharing technical resources and laying the groundwork for commercial deployment.
■ Rallying allies ahead of WRC standards-setting
POLITICO, a U.S. political news outlet, analyzed the partnership as a move to counter China's communications industry and the international influence of Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE Corporation.
The outlet also noted that the initiative is an attempt to keep the upper hand and counter China ahead of major decisions at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), which will be held in Shanghai in October and November next year, including the setting of technical standards for 6G mobile networks. It added that it is crucial for the United States to work closely with allies to establish international technical standards. NTIA Administrator Ariel Roth said the partnership "demonstrates an unprecedented level of international coordination around the future of communications technology." He added, "6G will be fundamentally different from 5G, and a completely different strategy is needed to strengthen the leadership of the United States and its allies."
■ Blocking security concerns over Chinese companies
Since the first Trump administration, the U.S. government has been warning allies about security concerns over equipment from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE Corporation. In March, Roth also said that the world should not accept "the existing model built around censorship, surveillance and control," expressing caution about Chinese telecommunications equipment and technology while outlining a 6G cooperation initiative centered on allies.
The first detailed specifications for 6G standards are expected to be released around March 2029, with commercial deployment likely to begin around 2030.
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