Minister Im Hye-sook: "Targeting 6G Commercialization by 2028, Will Mark the Era of Digital Great Navigation"

Minister Lim Hye-sook is delivering a keynote speech titled "Beyond 5G and 6G: The Era of Digital Navigation" at the ministerial program organized by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), the host of MWC2022, on the 1st (local time).

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] Lim Hye-sook, Minister of Science and ICT, emphasized the "value of inclusion" to governments and companies worldwide at 'MWC 2022' held in Barcelona, Spain.

On the 1st (local time), Minister Lim delivered a keynote speech titled "Beyond 5G and 6G: The Era of Digital Navigation" at the ministerial program organized by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), the host of MWC2022. Minister Lim stated, "We are preparing for the 6G era, targeting commercialization between 2028 and 2030, as well as advancing technologies beyond 5G." She added, "If in the past, people explored new continents by sailing ships across the seas, the future era will be a digital age of navigation where advanced communication technologies converge with innovative digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing to pioneer a digital new continent represented by virtual convergence spaces." She further proposed, "Just as everyone united to overcome the COVID-19 crisis, countries around the world should cooperate and practice the value of digital inclusion so that no nation or individual is left behind in the digital transformation process."

Minister Lim introduced Korea's achievements in 5G, which was first commercialized globally in April 2019. She explained, "Behind Korea's rapid 5G expansion was the 'Digital New Deal' policy. Over the past two years, approximately 11 trillion won was invested, and 220,000 companies and institutions participated, creating an opportunity for the growth of new digital industries." She also mentioned, "The Eum 5G network is being used by platform companies and public institutions to introduce new digital services such as autonomous robots and intelligent medical data management."

On February 28 and March 1, Minister Lim visited the MWC exhibition hall to closely examine future technological development directions for the digital navigation era, including next-generation network technologies, the metaverse, and artificial intelligence. To this end, she focused on visiting major domestic and international global companies such as Samsung Electronics, SKT, KT, LGU+, Qualcomm, Ericsson, and Intel, as well as 21 domestic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), mid-sized companies, and startups. Additionally, she held a meeting with domestic SMEs and startups attending MWC to encourage them, listen to their difficulties, and discuss future support measures.

During the exhibition, Minister Lim held bilateral talks with representatives from the United States, Finland, and Indonesia to discuss cooperation in information and communication technologies (ICT) such as 5G, 6G, and the metaverse. She met with Jessica Rosenworcel, Chairwoman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and introduced Korea’s successful case of installing ultra-high-speed internet networks in small rural fishing villages since 2010. She proposed cooperation with Korean companies possessing excellent equipment and operational know-how in the U.S. broadband network construction process aimed at improving ultra-high-speed internet access in underdeveloped areas. She also met with Timo Harakka, Finland’s Minister of Transport and Communications, to mutually share the status of 5G in both countries and agreed to further strengthen the partnership in next-generation communication sectors represented by 6G, including ongoing joint research in 6G communication technology and security. In a meeting with Johnny Gerard Plate, Indonesia’s Minister of Communication and Information Technology, she introduced Korea’s successful case of the ‘28GHz backhaul subway WiFi installation’ and expressed hope that Korea’s experience could be shared when constructing Jakarta’s new subway Line 2.

Meanwhile, on the 2nd, Minister Lim is scheduled to meet with Mats Granryd, Secretary-General of GSMA, to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for cooperation in the metaverse.

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