[Space Phone Debut] Korea Trails the US by 1.4 Years in Satellite Communication Sector

Global Companies Compete in Low Earth Orbit Satellite Communication Market
Faster and Cheaper Than Geostationary Satellites
Satellite Communication Competitiveness Low... "Preliminary Feasibility Study Under Review"

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communication is a key technology required for the next-generation 6G communication era. Competition to dominate the LEO satellite communication market is intensifying among global companies such as Starlink, Eutelsat, OneWeb, and Amazon.

Short Latency Suitable for 6G

LEO satellites orbit at an altitude between approximately 300 and 1,500 km above the Earth. They orbit the Earth 13 to 14 times a day, faster than the Earth's rotation speed. Their altitude is significantly lower than geostationary satellites, which orbit at about 36,000 km above the Earth. One geostationary satellite can cover a wide area, so it is used for communication services such as satellite phones and TV.

However, geostationary satellites have the disadvantage of very long communication latency. Next-generation 6G communication technology is essential to introduce autonomous driving and urban air mobility (UAM). For this reason, the market is being reorganized around LEO satellites, which are not constrained by space and can achieve fast data transmission speeds. The size of satellites launched into LEO is being reduced, and multiple satellites are launched simultaneously to reduce costs. The average latency of LEO satellites is about 0.025 seconds, which is lower compared to geostationary satellite communication (0.5 seconds) and undersea optical cables (0.7 seconds).

South Korea Lags 1.4 Years Behind the U.S.

South Korea's competitiveness in the satellite communication sector is still relatively low. This is due to a lack of experience in developing communication satellites and an underdeveloped industrial base. There is also no clear policy for nurturing satellite communication talent. According to the ICT technology level survey released last year by the Institute for Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP), South Korea's satellite communication technology level is 85.9% compared to the U.S. (100%), which is lower than China (89.1%) and Japan (89.6%). The gap in satellite and radio technology between South Korea and the U.S. is 1.4 years, ranking among the lowest in 18 major information and communication technologies alongside quantum information communication (1.6 years) and blockchain (1.4 years). The South Korean government plans to launch a total of 14 LEO communication satellites by 2031 for 6G demonstrations and other purposes.

Choi Kyung-il, Executive Director of KT SAT and an executive committee member of the Satellite Communication Forum, said, "The Ministry of Science and ICT, together with the Satellite Communication Forum and various institutions from academia, industry, and research, is advocating the necessity of establishing a 6G satellite communication testbed. Currently, the related preliminary feasibility study project is undergoing the main feasibility review."

Meanwhile, advanced countries and global companies are competing to dominate the LEO satellite market with massive capital. Amazon is promoting its LEO internet business under the name "Project Kuiper" and plans to launch about 3,000 LEO satellites by 2029. The European Union (EU) has set a goal to provide secure communication services across the entire European region. For this, out of a total project budget of 6 billion euros (approximately 8.3 trillion KRW), 2.4 billion euros will be funded by the EU, and the rest will be financed mainly by the private sector. The EU plans to deploy about 170 EU-owned LEO satellites and officially launch the service in 2027.

However, satellite communication is not without risks. A major issue is the collision with space debris. As launch activities targeting LEO increase, the problem of space debris is emerging. In the worst case, space debris could cause a chain reaction of collisions in orbit, leading to communication functions being interrupted or degraded.