ZTE’s 6G Vision

Why It Matters

By marrying AI and NTN within a power‑efficient 6G architecture, ZTE aims to unlock dramatically higher performance and new immersive services, reshaping telecom economics and setting a competitive benchmark for the industry.

Key Takeaways

• 6G aims to merge telecom with non‑terrestrial networks
• AI‑native infrastructure will use heterogeneous XPU architecture for telecom workloads
• New hyper‑generous design cuts power consumption tenfold in 6G systems
• AI‑enhanced radio and ISAC boost edge user experience sixfold
• Prototype XR/VR rendering showcases immersive 6G communication future applications

Summary

At MWC Barcelona, Grace Tang, vice‑president of ZTE’s SETI division, outlined the company’s 6G roadmap, emphasizing two strategic convergences: integration with non‑terrestrial networks (NTN) and deep coupling with artificial intelligence (AI) under the evolving 3GPP framework.

Tang detailed a heterogeneous XPU architecture that blends domain‑specific AI accelerators, general‑purpose GPUs, and legacy telecom processors, promising up to ten‑fold power savings. She highlighted four AI‑native capabilities—AI‑embedded radio, heterogeneous architecture, AI‑powered codillation, and AI‑driven ISAC—each optimized through reduced network layers, sparsity techniques, and hybrid quantization (FP8/FP4).

Concrete demonstrations included a joint prototype with China Mobile called “Gamo,” which leverages AI‑enhanced codillation to deliver a six‑times improvement in edge user experience. A second showcase featured immersive XR/VR rendering powered by 6G collective bandwidth, illustrating how AI‑driven ISAC can enable next‑generation visual communication.

The announcements signal a shift toward AI‑centric, energy‑efficient 6G infrastructure, positioning ZTE and its partners to capture emerging markets in immersive media, smart‑city services, and ultra‑low‑latency applications, while compelling operators and chipmakers to adopt heterogeneous compute stacks.

Original Description

During Mobile World Congress 2026, RCR Wireless News' Editor Juan Pedro Tomás spoke with Grace Tang, Vice President of ZTE Corporation, about the company's 6G vision.

ZTE’s message is bold: 6G will be the foundational infrastructure for Human-Agent Synergy — powering an agent-centric internet where billions of intelligent agents demand deterministic connectivity, ultra-low latency and immersive, AI-driven experiences.

From app-based networks to agent networks, the 6G conversation is taking shape.