First Step in 6G Technology Standardization Discussions in Korea

3GPP 6G Workshop and Technical Plenary
Held in Incheon from June 10

3GPP logo.

From the 10th to the 14th of this month, the first international conference on 6G technology standards will be held in Incheon. The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 9th that discussions on next-generation communication technology, expected to be commercialized around 2030, will begin through the '6G Workshop' and 'Technical Plenary' hosted by the international mobile communication standard development organization '3GPP.'

3GPP, established jointly by seven global standardization organizations, is starting the development of 6G technology standards. Korea actively participated in the process of approving the '6G Vision' at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and based on this, successfully attracted this practical standardization meeting.

Notably, the 6G standardization process this time features prominent participation not only from the existing telecommunications industry but also from AI and IT companies such as Nvidia, Meta, and Google.

Approximately 230 meeting documents were submitted from about 120 member companies domestically and internationally for this workshop. Key agenda items include AI integration in 6G, software virtualization and Open RAN technology, and Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) technology. Additionally, the influence of Korean companies is highlighted as experts from Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics have respectively nominated themselves for the chair of the RAN and the vice-chair of the Services and Systems groups.

Ryu Jae-myung, Director of the Network Policy Office at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "Starting 6G standard development in Korea expresses our country's determination to become a leading player in the 6G era," adding, "The government will actively support from start to finish to ensure that the technologies proposed by the domestic industry are approved as 6G standard technologies."