State research body ETRI selected to lead development of 6G telecom technology

By Lim Chang-won Posted : June 24, 2021, 16:25 Updated : June 24, 2021, 16:25

[Gettyimages Bank]

SEOUL -- A state-funded research body in South Korea's wireless communication domain was selected to lead the development of core technologies for 6G telecommunication. The national project involves dozens of partners including research bodies and companies such as Samsung Electronics and three mobile carriers.

in an effort to lead the next-generation telecommunications industry, South Korea is taking a practical first step to secure original technology and lead international standards, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) said. The institute has been working on the terahertz (THz) frequency band that could potentially provide a means to meet the 6G requirement of terabits per second data rate.

A 6G network can be commercialized only when a high-performance network on the ground and satellite communication are combined. Researchers have called for the early and pre-emptive development of 6G technologies. Companies have tied up with research bodies to secure core 6G technologies and achieve the world's first commercialization of 6G mobile telecommunication in 2028.

Some 127 billion won ($111.9 million) will be spent on implementing terabyte (Tbps)-class transmission speed. "Being selected as the project organizer, our institute has gained a lot of momentum to lead international standard technologies by securing core source technologies and intellectural property rights," ETRI's communications and media research head Bang Seung-chan said in a statement on June 24, vowing to commercialize 6G for the first time in the world.

ETRI and its partners would develop three-dimensional spatial communication technology, which provides Gbps-level services even in marine, remote, and disaster situations, and intelligent wireless access technology that enables smooth access even in interference-prone environments. They will work to overcome the limitations of mobile communication technology and study technologies that can communicate smoothly even in fast-running cars, airplanes and drones.

At a 6G strategy meeting a day ago, the Ministry of Science and ICT Minister unveiled a five-year state project to develop core technologies for 6G telecommunication. A joint research agreement was signed between South Korea's Institute for Information communication technology Planning and Evaluation (IITP) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), a U.S. agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering.
Lim Chang-won

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