10 September 2021

The South Korean government has unveiled the five-year plan to invest nearly US$193 million deploying the first-ever 6G network by the end of 2028.

Even though 5G is still in its infancy in many parts of the world, the east Asian nation is already targeting 6G technology. Korea will also structure a program to curate the core standards and technologies in the period of five years.

Lim Hye-sook, the country’s science and ICT minister, said that since the next generation of mobile networks will be the pillar for digital transformation, South Korea intends to lead the international market in the 6G era based on the field experiences.

To accelerate the development of 6G technologies, multiple collaboration and agreements are being signed in the region.

The Institute for Information communication Technology Planning and Evaluation (IITP), the state body of the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT, has inked an agreement with the US-based agency National Science Foundation (NSF) to carry out joint researches in 6G technologies.

Meanwhile, Korean tech giant LG signed two deals with the US-based firm Keysight Technologies and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) to carry out research on future 6G technologies.

The introduction of 6G is something the tech space had been reluctant to pursue, owing to the slower than hoped roll-out of 5G in certain parts of the world. However, nations like China, the US and those in the European Union have already launched various programs and partnerships to shape the 6G framework.

In February this year, a 6G research program was announced with the presence of several major European vendors. Elsewhere, US operators have already committed to the next G alliance - established with the primary goal of defining 6G technology.