KT and Nokia have agreed to cooperate in developing advanced open RAN technologies for 6G mobile communications.
South Korean telecommunications company KT is partnering with Finnish vendor Nokia to conduct research in the field of 6G, South Korean media outlets have reported.
The two companies have agreed to cooperate on the development of advanced Open RAN technologies for 6G mobile communications and ultra-wideband wireless access technologies using candidate 6G frequencies.
“Through our 6G partnership with Nokia, KT hopes to lead the development of communications technologies that will directly link to next-generation cloud and artificial intelligence,” said Lee Jeong-sik, head of KT’s network research center.
The two companies also agreed to focus on discovering future services that can be provided through 6G technology and innovating infrastructure to thoroughly prepare for the 6G era.
KT said its collaboration with Nokia will enable it to secure global leadership in standard setting and commercialization of 6G mobile communications.
In November 2023, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT announced a 440.4 billion won ($324.5 million) research and development plan for future 6G networks.
The ministry noted that the plan includes the development of technologies related to wireless communications, mobile core networks, 6G wired networks, 6G systems and 6G standardization.
The ministry also said it would work to standardize domestically developed 6G technology in line with international standardization requirements, which are expected to begin being formulated as early as next year, the report said.
South Korea’s 6G plans also include the development of mid- and high-band technologies covering the 7GHz to 24GHz frequency range to promote 5G network services.
The ministry also aims to showcase interim results of 6G network development in 2026 to play a leading role in setting international standards for next-generation network services.
The South Korean government announced in February that it plans to commercialize the first 6G network services in 2028, two years earlier than originally planned.
The government also unveiled the K-Network 2030 strategy, which aims to foster public-private cooperation to develop 6G technology, innovate next-generation software-based mobile networks, and strengthen the network supply chain.
The ministry had earlier launched a feasibility study on research and development of 6G core technologies at a total cost of 625.3 billion won in order to domestically produce materials, parts and equipment related to future 6G networks.
The standardization process for future 6G systems is still in its early stages. At a recent plenary meeting, 3GPP decided to finalize the standard specifications for commercial 6G networks and terminals by 2029.
