ZTE pioneers 6G transport with new breakthroughs in SPN standardization

• The 800G Metro Transport Network (MTN) standard has been approved as the first proposed international standard for 6G transmission, demonstrating China's continuous leadership in the field of 6G transmission technology
• The release of the Technical White Paper on "Introduction to Metro Transport Network" indicates that the evolution path from SDH to SPN has been officially recognized by ITU-T SG15 (the authoritative body of SDH/OTN standardization)

Shenzhen, China, December 12, 2025 - ZTE Corporation (0763.HK / 000063.SZ), a global leading provider of integrated information and communication technology solutions, and China Mobile, as well as other industry partners such as State Grid and China Southern Power Grid, have achieved several key breakthroughs in the Slicing Packet Network (SPN)/Metro Transport Network (MTN / fgMTN) technology system at the international standards level at the ITU-T SG15 standards meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland. Among them, the 800G MTN standard has been approved as the first proposed international standard for 6G transmission, demonstrating China's continuous leadership in the field of 6G transmission technology. As co-editors of the MTN standards, China Mobile and ZTE are working collaboratively to drive the continuous evolution of MTN technologies towards ultra-high bandwidth, ultra-low latency, deterministic transmission, and computing and network convergence.

MTN innovatively integrates TDM hard slicing and packet statistical multiplexing capabilities, and supports physical isolation and deterministic forwarding. After the project was approved by ITU-T SG15 in 2018, the core standards of MTN, covering its architecture, interfaces, equipment, protection, and management & control, have been fully implemented in the industry. MTN has been deployed in an ultra-large scale with over 400,000 units, providing robust support for the development of 5G and the digital transformation of key industries such as power grids. In response to the new demands of 6G and computing power networks, MTN is evolving with enhanced interfaces and synchronization to address the stringent requirements of 6G transport for security, reliability, and low latency.

The meeting yielded substantial results across four areas:

Completion of guiding standards

The newly released guiding MTN standard G.8312.20 Amd2, adding descriptions of the support for CBR customer services and introductions to synchronization and management & control standards, fully completes the MTN standard system framework. It marks that MTN, as a key transmission technology direction of ITU-T SG15, will be further promoted.

Breakthrough in 6G transport

A new project for the 800G MTN interface standard has been initiated. The single-port rate has increased substantially from 400 Gbps in the 5G era to 800 Gbps, significantly reducing the end-to-end latency. Moreover, the higher interface bandwidth supports a larger number of more flexible hard slicing pipes, representing a critical step during the evolution towards ultra-broadband, intelligent, and green transport networks.

Support for computing power networks

The G.Sup92 (ex.G.Sup.DCsync) standard was released, providing a new technological framework for data center synchronization. The release of this standard, together with the initiation of the 800G MTN standard, provides solid technical basis and normative support for the expansion of MTN/fgMTN into the data center domain, and will accelerate the establishment of an efficient, deterministic, and intelligent interconnection foundation for data centers based on MTN/fgMTN.

Evolution of traditional networks

The Technical White Paper on "Introduction to Metro Transport Network" (GSTP.MTN) was released, marking a new-generation white paper on the transmission technology system following the OTN white paper released in 2010. It systematically introduces the standards of MTN and its typical application scenarios, including wireless backhaul, slice-based private lines, and SDH replacement. Addressing the urgent need for SDH network evolution, MTN/fgMTN becomes the ideal solution for SDH phase-out with the dual advantages of high-capacity transmission and flexible multi-service scheduling. The release of this white paper indicates that this evolution path has been officially recognized by ITU-T SG15 (the authoritative body of SDH/OTN standardization), and will provide technical guidance for network evolution in scenarios such as operator private lines, power grids, and railways.

With MTN established as an innovative China-led transmission technology system, the advancement of its international standards has further solidified China's influence in the field of 6G transport. Moving forward, ZTE will continue to collaborate with key industry partners such as China Mobile, China Southern Power Grid and State Grid to enhance the capabilities of MTN and drive its converged application across multiple scenarios, delivering more efficient and reliable connectivity services for future scenarios including intelligent society, industrial Internet, computing power networks and smart grids.