CICT Mobile (688387.SH), the state-backed Chinese mobile communications group, has announced plans to invest 9.5 billion yuan ($1.3 billion) in three flagship projects focused on integrated satellite-terrestrial mobile communications and 6G research and development.
The company intends to raise up to 7 billion yuan through a private share issuance to fund the initiatives, according to a May 3 stock exchange filing. The investment aims to address critical bottlenecks in China’s satellite internet industrialisation and next-generation wireless standards.
The largest of the three initiatives is the integrated satellite-terrestrial mobile communications industrialisation project, with a planned total investment of 2 billion yuan, of which 1.5 billion yuan is expected to come from the share issuance.
The project is expected to establish a leading domestic smart manufacturing base for satellite internet equipment. It will enable the independent development and mass production of a full range of products, including spaceborne baseband processing units, spaceborne phased-array antennas, integrated payloads and specialised communication terminals. The products will cover the entire satellite internet value chain — from space and ground segments to application layers.
Satellite internet services breakthroughs
The project is expected to fill a significant gap in China’s domestic mass production capacity for core satellite internet components and build an indigenous, self-controlled supply chain, accelerating large-scale commercial deployment of satellite internet services in the country.
A second project, focused on research and development for integrated satellite-terrestrial mobile communications, carries a planned total investment of 2.85 billion yuan, with 1.85 billion yuan funded by the share issuance.
This initiative targets core technological breakthroughs in satellite internet. On one front, it will pursue research into satellite internet standard system evolution and satellite-terrestrial converged network architectures, strengthening CICT’s influence in setting international standards. On another, it will drive technological advances in high-performance spaceborne base stations, spaceborne edge computing, massive array formation and digital multi-beam forming, direct-to-handset connectivity and satellite-terrestrial network security.
The project also includes the development of high-performance spaceborne base stations, distributed core networks, multi-band spaceborne phased-array antennas, integrated payloads and specialised terminals, alongside a full-process test and verification platform. It will complete end-to-end integration verification of ground-based and in-orbit systems. Industry observers expect this will enhance China’s contributions to global satellite internet standards, break through core industrial bottlenecks, achieve self-reliance in critical equipment, and build a full-chain domestic product system.
Winning the global 6G race
The third project is a 6G research and development initiative, also with a planned total investment of 2.85 billion yuan, of which 1.85 billion yuan would come from the share issuance.
This project is aimed at the global race to set 6G technical standards and complete system verification. It will focus on key 6G technologies including satellite-terrestrial integration, ultra-dimensional antennas, integrated sensing and communication, native artificial intelligence and distributed intelligent networks. CICT plans to participate deeply in global 6G standard-setting while developing a full suite of products and verification platforms, including multi-element converged 6G core networks, 6G base station chips, ultra-large-scale active antenna arrays, 6G-AI converged prototype devices and 6G terminal simulators.
From a technical perspective, the project is expected to establish a full-chain 6G verification pathway from core chips and antennas to end-to-end core networks, complete validation of core technologies, provide physical support for 6G standard implementation, and lay a foundation for technological self-reliance. On an industrial level, it aims to build a domestic 6G product system in advance, drive collaborative maturation of the upstream and downstream supply chain, reduce future commercial deployment and terminal costs, and support the planned commercial launch of 6G in 2030.
Source:
5G and 6G
