Shanghai builds 6G future industry cultivation zone
On July 31, People's Daily reported that Shanghai is building a 6G future industry cultivation zone covering about 1 square kilometer around Sijing Town in Songjiang District. The 6G Xintong Zhigu in the zone has gathered industry chain companies to jointly develop cutting-edge products such as brainwave-sensing glasses. The plan targets over 100 enterprises by 2026-2027 and industrial scale exceeding 100 billion yuan by 2030.
Hubei releases 6G five-year action plan with 37 key task list
On July 30, Hubei Province released its 6G industry innovation development action plan (2026-2030) with 37 key tasks. Hubei will take the lead in breakthroughs in integrated sensing-computing-intelligence, space optical communication, and satellite-terrestrial convergence, developing flagship products including 6G baseband chips and next-generation base stations. CICT has filed over 1,200 6G patents.
US launches 6G global partnership with 24 countries
On July 27, the US NTIA announced a 6G Global Partnership initiative with 24 countries including the UK, Germany and Japan to coordinate national 6G strategies ahead of 6G replacing 5G in the 2030s. Participating nations want 6G systems to be open, interoperable, secure, resilient and AI-enabled.
FirstNet launches 5G standalone core
On July 30, the US public safety network FirstNet formally launched its 5G standalone (SA) core network, upgrading 5G capabilities for public safety communications. FirstNet provides priority access and dedicated communications for first responders, with the SA core supporting lower latency and more advanced public safety applications.
Japan's private 5G market moves from demos to real deployments
On July 30, SNS Telecom Research analysis showed Japan's private 5G market is transitioning from demonstrations to actual deployments, with a projected 55% CAGR through 2030. Ports, manufacturing and utilities are driving growth, with NEC and Fujitsu actively expanding enterprise 5G offerings.
India establishes first telecom manufacturing zone
On July 31, India established its first telecom manufacturing zone, marking a new phase in local equipment manufacturing and supply chain development. The zone will focus on localized production of 5G/6G equipment, fiber and terminals.
XLSmart and ZTE expand 5G and FWA partnership
On July 29, Indonesian operator XLSmart signed an MoU with ZTE to expand cooperation into AI-powered 5G networks and fixed wireless access (FWA). The partners will use AI to optimize 5G performance and promote FWA broadband services across Indonesia to bridge urban-rural connectivity gaps.
Rakuten Symphony gets METI grant to expand Open RAN trials in Ukraine
On July 28, Rakuten Symphony received a grant from Japan's METI to expand its Open RAN project with Ukrainian operator Kyivstar from lab to field trials, validating Open RAN deployment capabilities in real network environments.
TIM Brasil deploys private network for smart grid
On July 27, Brazilian operator TIM and utility CPFL Energia reached a private network agreement for smart grid digitalization. The deployment marks a new phase in Brazil's energy distribution digitalization, using 450MHz spectrum to support grid automation.
Taiyuan-Zhongwei-Yinchuan railway Lvliang section achieves full 4G/5G coverage
On July 29, Shanxi Mobile completed a network upgrade along the Taiyuan-Zhongwei-Yinchuan railway's Lvliang section using a 4G expansion, 5G gap-filling and high-low frequency coordination approach. With 78% bridges and tunnels and the longest tunnel at 21km, 700MHz low-band penetration eliminated signal dead zones, tripling peak network capacity.