Beijing has taken a major step in advancing next-generation communications with the launch of the Beijing 6G Air-Ground-Space Integrated Laboratory, according to the Beijing Yizhuang official account. The lab, co-led by China Unicom Research Institute and China SatNet, was jointly announced by several companies including GalaxySpace, ZTE Digital Nebula, and Landspace Hongqing at an event on September 13.
Collaborative ecosystem and breakthroughs
Over the past year, the laboratory has brought together more than 20 core industry chain units, spanning operators, equipment manufacturers, universities, and research institutes. These partners cover key areas such as fundamental research, satellite-terrestrial integrated networking, core chips and terminal equipment, and application scenario development.
The lab has already achieved a series of breakthroughs in satellite-terrestrial integration, vehicle-linked satellite communications, phased array antennas, and inter-satellite laser links. Among the notable results is the "Unicom Star Hub," an open interconnection platform for satellite-terrestrial convergence developed independently by China Unicom, which was unveiled as a latest achievement at the 2026 China Unicom Partners Conference.
Building a 6G industrial ecosystem
Beijing's economic development zone is also working to create a "6G SPACES" innovation ecosystem community. The zone has gathered over 80 upstream and downstream enterprises, with deployments in chip components, base station equipment, and satellite communication devices, forming an initial 6G industrial ecosystem.
The initiative underscores China's push to lead in 6G technology, which promises to integrate terrestrial and satellite networks for ubiquitous connectivity. For the automotive industry, such advances could enable more reliable vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication and enhanced autonomous driving capabilities in remote areas.
