The Ministry of Science and ICT has begun to secure full-scale competitiveness by passing the preliminary feasibility study for the 6G communication industry technology development project worth a total of KRW 440 billion.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 23rd that the next-generation network (6G) industry technology development project passed the preliminary feasibility study with a total scale of 440.73 billion won (national budget of 373.17 billion won) at the 10th National Research and Development Project Evaluation General Committee for 2023 held at the Seoul Central Post Office.

Accordingly, in conjunction with the 6G core technology research that has been underway since 2021, we will begin full-scale development of 6G commercialization technology and core components from 2024 and reflect this in international standards. In 2026, Korea will secure competitiveness in next-generation networks by demonstrating Pre-6G technology and securing 30% of 6G international standard patents.

The network paradigm is shifting globally to investment in 6G technology development and the discovery, acceleration, and opening of new 6G candidate frequency bands. In response, our country is also pursuing technology development in five major areas: △Upper-mid band (7-24GHz) technology, △Coverage expansion technology, △Software (SW)-centered network, △Energy saving, and △Strengthening supply chain security.

We are developing upper-mid band (7-24GHz) technology that overcomes the capacity limitations of 5G 3.5GHz and the coverage limitations of 28GHz.

Recently, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and global telecommunications equipment manufacturers such as Qualcomm, Ericsson, and Nokia have been paying attention to this frequency band as a candidate frequency band for 6G, and component development is being promoted based on this band.

In particular, we plan to develop 'Extreme Massive MIMO (E-MIMO)', which improves performance by more than four times compared to 'massive MIMO', which is considered a key component of 5G, and the IC chips that control these antenna components, thereby contributing to Korea securing global leadership in 6G.

We are also conducting research to overcome the coverage limitations that arise from the use of high frequencies. Current base stations based on passive relay technology can only communicate with ground-based communications within a fixed range. In 6G, we plan to use active relay technology to eliminate more shadow areas and enable communications over a wider range. If this technology is applied, it will be possible to prevent inconveniences in coverage that occur in the early stages of commercialization.
In response to the network change from HW-centered to cloud and SW, SW-centered network technology is being developed. While some 5G mobile core functions that have been SW-ized are being developed into cloud-based mobile core network SW (Cloud-Native technology), SW technology that enables virtualization, openness, and intelligence of base station equipment is being developed using the cloud.

In line with the global trend toward carbon neutrality, we are also developing technologies that support higher performance while also saving energy in conjunction with the development of 6G energy-saving technologies. As the overall system of 6G becomes more complex compared to 5G, power consumption is expected to increase, and accordingly, low-power design technology is required. We are developing low-power design and low-power signal processing technologies for core components of base stations (approximately 73%) that account for most of the power usage in communication systems, and we are also enhancing core network management technologies to enhance efficiency.

We will strengthen the supply chain of communication equipment and components by developing core components such as base stations, terminals, and optical communications that depend on foreign products with domestic technology. We will reduce the gap between the demand level and development technology of the demand side through cooperation between large companies as demand companies and medium and small companies as supply companies. Through this, the commercialization competitiveness of development results will be strengthened and the possibility of market launch of components utilizing domestic technology is expected to increase.

We verify technologies at each stage so that research results can be practically utilized in the 6G commercialization period. In 2026, we aim to hold a ‘Pre-6G Technology Demonstration’ event by inviting major telecommunications companies, manufacturers, standard experts, and government officials. In 2028, we aim to promote an integrated system demonstration of research and development results through cooperation between domestic large corporations and SMEs, thereby presenting the vision and possibilities of the 6G ecosystem and securing competitiveness in the early 6G market.

We plan to reflect the research and development results through this in international standards and contribute to securing Korea’s share of 6G international standard patents of more than 30%. As mobile communications is a global single standard market, it is expected to serve as a foundation for leading standards by securing technology, securing standards, and achieving early commercialization.

Hong Jin-bae, director of the Network Policy Office of the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, “With the passage of this preliminary feasibility study, the foundation has been established to smoothly promote the expansion of 6G R&D investment and the ‘26 Pre-6G technology demonstration’ announced at the ‘K-Network 2030 Plan’ in February of this year,” adding, “We will work to ensure that our country can move one step ahead as the world’s best digital infrastructure powerhouse by nimbly responding to the fierce global competition for network technology hegemony.”