6G Technology Development Accelerates... 200 Billion Won Investment Over 5 Years

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 7th that it will actively promote the 6G core technology development project to secure leadership in future mobile communication networks and proactively respond to non-face-to-face and digitalization trends.

Mobile communication infrastructure is a core element of the 'data highway,' a pillar of the Digital New Deal, and is considered an essential foundational technology for public convenience as well as social and industrial development. Recently, major countries around the world, including the United States, China, and Europe, have entered a competition to secure the next-generation technology after 5G, which is 6G.

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to focus on developing technologies in challenging and pioneering areas that are difficult for the private sector to actively invest in, such as low-earth orbit satellite communication technology, through the 6G core technology development project. Previously, a preliminary feasibility study for the '6G Core Technology Development Project' was finally approved for a total of 200 billion KRW over five years starting this year.

This year, a total of 16.4 billion KRW will be supported for 11 detailed tasks centered on 9 strategic technologies in 5 key areas, including 10.8 billion KRW for ultra-performance and ultra-broadband fields, 2.3 billion KRW for ultra-spatial fields, and 3.3 billion KRW for ultra-precision and ultra-intelligence fields.

In particular, from the early stages of R&D, a method that suggests the optimal direction through global patent analysis will be applied, providing each company and institution with a package of R&D funds and standard patent acquisition strategies. A 6G Research Center, university-centered for strengthening basic 6G research and nurturing specialized talent, will also be selected and supported for up to five years.

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to organize and operate the '6G R&D Strategy Committee,' which includes participation from both the public and private sectors, starting in March this year to successfully carry out the project by consolidating the capabilities of experts from industry, academia, and research institutes.

From 2026, when technology development is completed, a 6G-Upgrade pilot project will be promoted to apply Pre-6G technology (pre-commercialization) to the five 5G+ services such as smart cities, smart factories, digital healthcare, immersive content, and autonomous vehicles, and support will be provided to ensure that the developed technologies are successfully established as services.

The announcement for this new project will be open until February 1, and an online project briefing session will be held on the 8th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.