Securing Global Leadership in 6G... 'Mobile Korea 2021' Starts Today

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] Following the world's first successful commercialization of 5G, 'Mobile Korea 2021' opened on the 23rd to secure global leadership in the 6G mobile communication field. South Korea has officially begun developing 6G technology starting this year.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that from the 23rd for four days, the 'Mobile Korea 2021' event will be held to share global technology and industry trends in the fields of 5G and 6G.

This event was organized to secure global leadership in next-generation mobile communications by leading the 5G convergence service market and further the 6G vision and technology standards based on the experience of 5G. The '6G Global' and '5G+ Vertical Summit' will be held simultaneously.

At this event, major governments from the U.S., Europe, China, Japan, and leading domestic and international companies such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Ericsson, Nokia, and Qualcomm participate to assess the current status of network technology and discuss future technology and industry prospects. Notably, this year, considering the importance of future satellite communications, the 'Satellite Communication Forum,' established in July, also participated as a host organization, broadening the scope of discussions.

On the first day of the event, the 23rd, an offline opening ceremony was held. As part of the follow-up measures from the May Korea-U.S. summit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for 6G cooperation was signed between Korea's '5G Forum' and the U.S. 'Next G Alliance.'

Susan Miller, Chairperson of the U.S. Telecommunications Industry Association (ATIS) and representative chair of the U.S. Next G Alliance, expressed her expectations through an online message about closely cooperating with South Korea, a leading country in next-generation mobile communication technology, and promised continuous exchanges in areas such as 6G technology roadmap development, standardization, and frequency allocation.

South Korea's leading cases in 5G and 6G technology development were also introduced. Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics presented the current status of communication technology development in the THz (terahertz) band and conducted technology demonstrations. Tricomtec, Korea Information and Communication Technology Association, and Daejeon Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation showcased applications of 5G-based human movement and facial expression information in digital humans and detection of abnormal behavior inside train cars, respectively.

The '6G Global' event will be held from the 23rd to the 24th. It includes nine sessions (38 lectures and one panel discussion) sharing national 6G strategies and visions, as well as the development status of 6G wired/wireless networks and satellite communication technologies.

On the first day, the 23rd, lectures on the future of 6G were given, along with introductions to 6G visions and statuses from overseas private organizations such as Europe's 6GIA and Japan's B5GPC. Additionally, global companies in the telecommunications components and equipment sector, including Nokia, Qualcomm, Ericsson, and NTT Docomo, presented their 6G communication visions and statuses, followed by a panel discussion on 'The Future of 6G' with domestic companies such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics.

On the second day, key technologies of 6G will be explained by major domestic and international universities and research institutes, including the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), University of Surrey in the UK, and Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, which are conducting advanced 6G research in South Korea.

Furthermore, universities and research institutes studying 6G satellite communications and major domestic and international companies actively commercializing it, such as KT SAT, Hanwha Systems, LIG Nex1, AP Satellite, and Oneweb, will gather to present ways to link terrestrial and satellite communications, current technology development status, and industry trends.

In addition, alongside technical exchanges among domestic and international industry, academia, and research experts, visions and strategies of major advanced countries leading 6G communication technology development, including the U.S. (FCC, NSF), Europe (DG Connect, Hexa-X), China (MIIT, CAICT), Japan (MIC, NICT), and the UK (DCMS), will also be examined.

The '5G+ Vertical' event, held on the 25th and 26th, will focus on 5G+ convergence services such as smart mobility, smart factories & specialized networks, immersive media & metaverse, smart cities, and public & marine convergence, conducted through seven sessions (27 lectures and five panel discussions).

Starting with the Ministry of Science and ICT's announcement of the '5G+ Convergence Service Expansion Strategy' on the 25th, Qualcomm, Harman, and GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications Association) will share global trends. Additionally, technology development status and cases in various 5G+ convergence service fields promoted by domestic and international global companies, telecommunications carriers, and universities will be reviewed.

Minister of Science and ICT Hyesook Lim said in her welcoming speech at the opening ceremony, “Communication networks are core infrastructure that will lead accelerated digital transformation and serve as the foundation of our society, driving innovation by converging with all industries.” She added, “We will expand various 5G convergence services that the public can experience and achieve substantial results, including establishing the 6G vision and preparing international standards through active cooperation with major advanced countries such as the U.S. and international organizations like the ITU.”

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