As the paradigm of network technology and industry is changing to focus on cloud (virtualization) and open LAN (openness) technologies, the Ministry of Science and ICT is promoting a 6G and open LAN global talent training project to maintain leadership in next-generation network technology.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on February 5 that it has begun the public offering process to select detailed tasks and implementing organizations for the 'Next-Generation Communications and Cloud Leadership' Establishment Project, scheduled to begin in earnest in 2024, and the 'Open-RAN Human Resources Development Program' in order to secure leadership in next-generation network technology.

The 'Next-Generation Communications and Cloud Leadership Development Project' aims to foster talents in cloud-based networks, which are the core of next-generation communications and networks such as 6G. It supports joint research between domestic universities with network system design capabilities and overseas research institutes with communications and cloud source technologies. A total of 45 billion won will be invested in four projects by 2029 (two to be launched in 2024).

The 'OpenLAN Human Resources Development Program' aims to develop network talent based on new OpenLAN technologies that interconnect equipment from various manufacturers. This project aims to foster advanced, practical open-LAN talents through cooperation between domestic universities and graduate schools with network technology education and research capabilities and leading overseas universities with open-LAN-based test networks. A total of KRW 15 billion (KRW 7.5 billion per project) will be supported for two projects by 2028.

Domestic universities (graduate schools) selected as business implementation organizations will conduct joint research with leading overseas institutions (universities, research institutes, companies, etc.). In addition, domestic master's and doctoral students will be dispatched to overseas institutions for at least 6 months and supported to jointly write excellent papers under the guidance of overseas professors.

This project will actively reflect the opinions of the industry, which is the actual user, throughout the entire process from the project call to operation. Experts from the network industry will actively participate in the process of selecting project projects and joint research topics, and an annual performance exchange meeting will be held in which industry, academia, and research participate together to maximize the utilization and industrialization potential of research results.

An official from the Ministry of Science and ICT said, “In order to lead the competition for network technology hegemony and respond to changes in the network paradigm based on software and artificial intelligence (AI), global cooperation and securing excellent talent are more important than anything else,” and “We expect that the excellent global talent that will be produced through this project will lead the development of our country’s next-generation network technology and industry, such as 6G and open LAN.”