지난 8일 한국전자파학회는 여의도 중소기업중앙회관에서 전파 정책 및 신기술 워크숍을 열고 ‘5G+/6G 초공간 통신 정책 및 신기술’을 주제로 발표했다. 정부가 차세대 네트워크 모범 국가 실현의 비전을 세우고 6G 선도에 출력을 가하고 있다. 6G의 새로운 주파수 대안으로 어퍼 미드(Upper-mid) 대역이 가시화되고 있다.
K-Network 2030, Cloud and SW-centered transition
Upper mid-band, large capacity and high coverage satisfaction
6G Smart Mobility Promising… Satellite Communications Demand↑ The government is setting a vision to become a model country for next-generation networks and is putting its efforts into leading 6G. The upper-mid band is becoming visible as a new frequency alternative for 6G.
On the 8th, the Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science held a workshop on radio policy and new technologies at the Korea Federation of SMEs in Yeouido and presented on the topic of “5G+/6G hyper-space communication policies and new technologies.” Policy and Business Committee member Woojin Byun, President Jongkwan Yuk of the Korean Society of Radio Engineering, and Network Policy Office Director Jinbae Hong emphasized the importance of 5G+/6G, which has the highest radio utilization, in their opening remarks, welcoming remarks, and congratulatory remarks, respectively, and preached that this would be a valuable forum for exchanging information on policies and new technologies.
In a presentation titled “K-Network 2030 Strategy,” Hwang Won-jun, an official at the Ministry of Science and ICT, introduced the government’s vision for a network powerhouse and shared its implementation strategy.
The government is putting forward a plan to build an industrial ecosystem by securing next-generation 6G technology, transitioning to a cloud/SW-centered network, and strengthening the supply chain.
The government announced last year that it would announce 12 national strategic technologies, specify 50 detailed key technologies, and make large-scale investments in next-generation communication technologies. Last February, the 'K-Network 2030' strategy was announced.
In addition, at the end of May, the Ministry of Science and ICT relaunched the 5G Forum as the 6G Forum to speed up preparations for 6G in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the 5G Forum. The official launch of the 'OpenLan Alliance' consultative body has also become visible.
A preliminary feasibility study worth 625.3 billion won (2024-2028) is underway to develop 6G core technologies, while simultaneously investing in commercialization, small and medium-sized businesses, and open RAN.
The 6G standard is expected to be commercialized between 2028 and 2030, and although the standard has not been finalized yet, the government will demonstrate Pre-6G technology in 26 years with the goal of securing 30% of 6G standards and patents to lead 6G technology.
Director Hwang said, “In order to make a preemptive start, we will conduct a preliminary feasibility study for 6G commercialization two years ahead of schedule, and the results will be out in the second half of this year.”
The upper-mid band (7-24Ghz) that emerged at this time is suitable as a large-capacity, high-coverage communication technology and is attracting attention as an alternative to the 6G frequency.
Previously, the sub-terahertz (Sub-THz) band (92-300 GHz) was discussed as a candidate for 6G, but recently, this trend is emerging as the need for a band that can satisfy both capacity and coverage is emphasized.
According to data from the Korea Information and Communications Technology Association, telecommunications equipment manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics, Ericsson, Qualcomm, and Nokia are also emphasizing the importance of the upper mid-band.
Compared to the perceived speed of about 100 Mbps and the maximum speed of 3.6 Gbps in the 5G Sub-6 band, the perceived speed of about 1 Gbps and the maximum speed of 200 Gbps in the upper mid band are expected. In addition, the development of MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) technology that secures capacity and coverage is essential to overcome the limitations that existed in aerial coverage and high-frequency utilization in the mmWave band of 5G.
In addition, the SW-centered network strategy is also supporting the development of ▲open LAN ▲cloud ▲AI performance optimization ▲AI semiconductor technology development ▲quantum communication ▲satellite communication technology.
Samsung Electronics successfully launched Europe’s first open-LAN 5G network in May with Vodafone in the UK. Vodafone expected that by building an open-LAN with Samsung Electronics, it would be able to replace existing Huawei equipment with other telecommunications equipment.
■ ITU 6G Vision, First Step Important Jae-Woo Lim, a researcher at the National Radio Research Agency, presented on the standardization trends of the IMT-2030 framework of the International Telecommunication Union Mobile Working Group (ITU-WP 5D).
ITU is a specialized agency under the UN, and 193 countries participate to discuss mobile communication vision. ITU held a meeting in Geneva on the 12th. It will prepare a report on the 6G vision over the course of 10 days. Based on this vision, the mobile communication standardization cooperation organization 3Gpp will specifically establish 6G standards.
The World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) 23, to be held in November this year, will determine the 6G frequency candidate bands. The main contents are expected to include the discovery of additional 5G frequencies and proposals for the upper-mid band agenda.
Mobile communication technology changes generations after 10-15 years of standardization. While 5G focuses on ultra-high speed and IoT communications, 6G will incorporate AI and sensing technologies. Based on this, 6G will feature ultra-high speed, ultra-low latency, ultra-reliability, as well as energy optimization and high coverage.
6G is expected to be utilized in major domain areas such as immersive reality, intelligent production, smart infrastructure, and expanded networks. In particular, 6G is expected to play a role in smart mobility including autonomous vehicles and UAM. It also appears promising in smart factories that implement full automation and robots.
There is also a growing need for global connectivity, including the standardization of satellite networks that support satellite smartphone connectivity, such as T-Mobile and SpaceX, and drone communications.
Researcher Lim said, “As the scale has expanded through 5G and 6G, the complexity of stakeholders has increased, and because it involves replacement of equipment such as base stations, the replacement cycle is recognized as very important,” adding, “Now is the time to properly button up the first step before 6G is actually commercially deployed in 10 years.”