The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 17th that out of the four 6G mobile communication candidate bands proposed by South Korea at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23), held from the 20th of last month to the 15th of this month, three were finally adopted as 6G candidate bands. The bands in question are 4.4?4.8 GHz (partial band), 7.125?8.5 GHz (partial band), and 14.8?15.35 GHz.
WRC-23 is the highest decision-making conference hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) that determines global frequency allocation and important matters in the field of radiocommunication. It was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with approximately 3,800 participants from 162 countries, including government officials and related experts.
The South Korean government formed a delegation of 49 domestic public and private experts from the Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of National Defense, National Radio Research Agency, Samsung Electronics, and others to participate in international discussions on a total of 23 agenda items covering mobile communications, satellites, maritime and aviation, and science. A Ministry of Science and ICT official stated, "We made various efforts to strengthen global frequency cooperation, including leading policy coordination through bilateral talks with about 15 major countries such as the United States, China, and Japan."
In particular, the South Korean delegation took a leading role in developing agenda items for the next WRC (WRC-27), proposing the 4.4?15.35 GHz band, which had not been discussed in previous WRCs, as a 6G candidate band.
According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the ITU in August regarding the dispatch of private 6G experts, the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to send domestic mobile communication experts to the ITU in the first half of next year. This is expected to establish a foundation for South Korea to secure leadership in discussions on 6G frequency discovery at the 2027 WRC meeting.
Park Yoon-kyu, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "Through active radio diplomacy, we successfully achieved our initial goal, with the 6G mobile communication candidate frequencies led by South Korea being adopted as agenda items for the next World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC)." He added, "In preparation for the deepening digital era, we will promptly implement follow-up measures such as frequency allocation based on this WRC decision, leading efforts to enhance public convenience by expanding the global advancement of domestic companies through new industry creation and strengthening public safety."
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