The Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI, President Shin Hee-dong) has been recognized for its achievement in domestically producing world-class 5G core components.

KETI announced on the 8th that its research achievement of 'Development of the World's Best 5G FR2 Band RFIC' was selected as one of the 100 Best National Research and Development Achievements in 2022.

The 100 Best National R&D Achievements is a system that selects the most outstanding research achievements from the previous year created through national R&D projects. The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Evaluation and Planning select and announce the best achievements every year. This year, a total of 852 candidate achievements were submitted.

KETI's achievements, selected as one of the top 100 this year, were evaluated as having contributed to the domestic production of 5G communication components through the world's best RFIC core technologies developed by the ICT Device and Packaging Research Center (Director: Gwang-ho Ahn).

KETI's ICT Device and Packaging Research Center has successfully completed the localization of key communication components that enable 5G ultra-high-speed transmission in the ultra-high frequency band (approximately 28-40 GHz), thereby overcoming radio shadow areas and improving communication range.

The center has developed a GaN (gallium nitride)-based power amplifier with the world's highest efficiency (30%) at 8W saturation power in the 5G 28/38GHz band, and a low-noise amplifier with the world's lowest noise figure of less than 2dB in the corresponding frequency band.We developed an amplifier and succeeded in localizing related technology.

Additionally, the center developed a 16-channel beamforming technology based on domestic chips that integrates multiple power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, phase shifters, switches, and antennas for the first time in Korea, and confirmed smooth communication in the actual 5G 28GHz band.

Furthermore, we were able to secure component-based technology for the 5G RF2 band and the world's first 6G pilot service demonstration in 2026, including the localization of a compound semiconductor process that supports 5G millimeter waves (mmWave).

KETI Center Director Ahn Gwang-ho, who led the technology development, said about this achievement, “In the past, most communication components for the 5G FR2 band relied on foreign technology, making it difficult to create an R&D ecosystem for related components.” He added, “We will take the lead in strengthening the technological competitiveness of domestic small and medium-sized enterprises through localization of RF components, and continue to lay the technological foundation for the 6G hyper-connected society in the future.”