US launches global 6G alliance to counter China’s telecom influence

The Trump administration has launched a new international partnership with more than 20 allies to coordinate the development of next-generation 6G wireless technology, as Washington seeks to reduce China’s influence over future telecommunications networks.

According to Politico, the initiative brings together countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Australia, Canada and South Korea, with the aim of shaping 6G standards, improving network security and strengthening supply chains before the technology is expected to begin replacing 5G networks in the 2030s.

The US National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is leading the effort, which will create channels for governments to share technical information, coordinate policies and prepare for future commercial deployment.

NTIA head Arielle Roth said the initiative recognised that 6G would require a different approach from previous generations of wireless technology.

“Advancing US and allied leadership requires a dramatically different playbook,” Roth said, adding that cooperation with trusted partners would help ensure future networks reflected shared security interests and supported innovation.

The partnership is widely seen as part of Washington’s broader effort to compete with China in telecommunications, particularly against major Chinese equipment makers such as Huawei and ZTE.

During the race to build 5G networks, the US warned allies about security risks linked to Chinese telecom equipment and encouraged governments to limit cooperation with Huawei and ZTE. Washington has also spent billions of dollars helping remove Chinese-made equipment from some domestic networks.

The new 6G initiative comes ahead of the World Radiocommunication Conference in Shanghai next year, where countries are expected to discuss key decisions affecting the future development of wireless technologies.

The participating governments said they want 6G systems to be “open, interoperable, secure, resilient, AI-supported” and based on cooperation among like-minded countries.

The agreement outlines several steps over the coming year, including meetings to share best practices, review security challenges and discuss priorities with industry and academic experts.

The initial group of participants includes Albania, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, the Philippines, South Korea, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

US officials say closer cooperation with allies will help shape global technical standards and ensure that future wireless networks are developed around security and reliability principles.