SEOUL – South Korea today said it will invest ₩220 billion (RM806 million), or US$195 million, to develop and standardise sixth generation (6G) network technology by 2025 and conduct joint research with the United States (US) to strengthen competitiveness in the global race for the future technology.
The network technology, which is expected to reach theoretical speeds up to 50 times faster than 5G and have a tenth of its latency, is currently in early stages of development, with commercialisation expected as early as 2028, reported Yonhap news agency.
The Science and ICT Ministry said it has earmarked around ₩220 billion until 2025 to develop core 6G technology, such as integrating satellite networks and terrestrial networks to power telecommunications for future flying vehicles and drones, as well as in disaster situations.
The country has already set out a plan to launch 14 low Earth orbit satellites by 2031 to test the technology.
The Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the US’ National Science Foundation to conduct joint research in 6G technologies.
The agreement comes after a summit between the two countries last month, which agrees to strengthen cooperation in emerging technologies, including 6G.
The ministry said it is also pursuing research in the sector with the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology and Finland’s University of Oulu.
The investment is the latest in South Korea’s efforts to maintain its edge in telecommunications technology after becoming the first country in the world to commercialise 5G networks in April 2019. – Bernama, June 23, 2021
