OVC advances Hubei's ambition to become national 6G industry hub
China Information and Communication Technologies Group (CICT) collaborated with Hubei's universities and industry stakeholders to launch the "6G Technology and Industry Innovation Initiative" at 2025 Donghu Forum's parallel event 6G Technology and Industry Innovation Forum on Oct 14, aiming to establish Hubei province as a national 6G industry hub.
2025 Donghu Forum's parallel event 6G Technology and Industry Innovation Forum is held on Oct 14. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]
The initiative calls for the integration of resources from the academia, industry, research and application sectors across Hubei to build a self-sustaining and open 6G industrial ecosystem. Key focus areas include the low-altitude economy, intelligent driving, humanoid robots, and emergency communications, with pilot demonstrations of 6G applications planned. The initiative also emphasizes deepening collaboration between universities and enterprises to establish labs and industry-specific colleges for training high-end 6G talent and outstanding engineers.
6G represents the next generation of mobile information communication networks, expected to be commercially available by 2030. It will support emerging industries like aerial taxis, unmanned logistics, and robotics, acting as a significant driver for China's economic growth.
Hubei hosts 10 national key laboratories involved in 6G research and over 60 academicians in communication-related fields. CICT, one of China's top three information and communication industry leaders, is headquartered in the Wuhan East Lake High-tech Development Zone (Optics Valley of China, or OVC) and has already made strides in over 20 critical 6G technologies.
CICT Chairman He Shuping stated that Hubei's strong industrial base, educational resources, and strategic location position it to lead 6G innovation nationally and globally. CICT will focus on 6G and satellite internet as core strategic areas, supporting Hubei's next-generation information technology industry to surpass 2 trillion yuan ($280.77 billion) by 2030.
