(Yicai Global) Nov. 12 -- China will initiate research into the concept sixth-generation technology this year, which could enable download speeds of up to one terabyte per second, according to an official at the national industry ministry.

Actual development will officially begin in 2020 with a vision to commercializing the technology in 2030, tech portal Pingwest cited Su Xin, chief of the 5G working group under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, as saying.

5G, which China plans to take commercial next year, is expected to multiply existing mobile download speeds by about 10 times, and 6G is set to double that while reducing latency and offering wider coverage. The United States, European Union and Russia are already looking at 6G concepts.

The combination of mobile communications with vertical industries will generate business in large-market sectors like the industrial internet, drones and interactive games, Wan Yixiang, deputy director of the Technology and Standards Research Institute under the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, said last month.

As well as terrestrial coverage, the 6G era will make mobile communication possible underwater, added Xiang Ligang, chief executive of communications news website Xiang Ligang.