South Korea pushes for independence of 6G core technology

After South Korea launched the world's first 5G commercial service, how to develop 6G technology has become a new issue. In this regard, Korean companies have already taken the lead, and the South Korean government followed closely, recently holding a meeting with companies to launch the "6G Research and Development Implementation Plan." Among them, the independence of core technologies has become a prominent feature of the plan.

According to the "6G Research and Development Implementation Plan" announced by the Ministry of Science and ICT of South Korea, South Korea will invest 220 billion won by 2025. The investment areas include ensuring 6G core independent technology, seizing patents and the right to speak in international standard setting, and building R&D and industrial foundations, in order to make South Korea a world-class power in 6G technology.

Specifically, among the three major investment areas, ensuring 6G core independent technology is the highlight. On the one hand, of the 220 billion won that South Korea plans to invest, 200 billion won will be used to ensure 6G core independent technology. On the other hand, when promoting the development of other industries, the South Korean government will also include seizing patents, improving relevant international discourse power, and integrating R&D with corporate development as supporting measures.

South Korea plans to promote 10 core independent technologies, including Tbps wireless communications, Tbps optical fiber communications, terahertz RF components, terahertz frequency band models, mobile communications, satellite communications, terminal ultra-precision networks, intelligent networks, intelligent wireless data exchange, and 6G security technologies. In short, South Korea intends to develop all 6G-related technologies that can be developed within its capabilities, and the fields involved are relatively broad and comprehensive.

South Korea's push for the independence of 6G core technology is not only due to its practical needs and more complete technical conditions, but also a blessing in disguise as it ushers in an opportunity period for 6G development.

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In recent years, the independence of core technologies has become a key word in South Korea's economic strategy. For a long time, South Korea only advocated the promotion of free trade. However, as trade protectionism has had a huge negative impact on the world in recent years, South Korea has begun to advocate trade multilateralism. In 2019, trade frictions arose between South Korea and Japan, and many of South Korea's pillar industries were "choked" by Japan, and South Korea was forced to embark on the road of independence of core technologies. Since then, the independence of core technologies has become the primary issue for South Korea to consider when developing high-tech industries, and South Korea strives to ensure that the independence of 6G core technologies is in line with this.

In addition, when introducing the goal of core technology independence, the plan emphasized that South Korea will promote the integration of satellite communication networks and ground communication networks and connect them with the "Satellite Communication Technology Development Strategy". South Korea plans to launch 14 low-orbit satellites by 2031 to enhance its communication capabilities. It is not difficult to see that low-orbit satellites are crucial to South Korea's development of 6G technology.

As an important part of the development of the communications industry, it seems common to make a fuss about satellites, but for South Korea, this was difficult to do in the past. In the past few decades, the United States has imposed strict restrictions on the range and warhead weight of South Korea's missile launches based on the "missile guidelines" between South Korea and the United States. Since missiles and rocket technologies are similar, and South Korea can only use short-range missile technology, South Korea cannot use long-range rocket technology to independently launch satellites. When South Korea wanted to launch satellites in the past, it had to find countries such as Germany to manufacture rocket thrusters, and it had to find overseas partners such as French Guiana to find satellite launch sites, resulting in a small number of low-orbit satellites launched by South Korea, a very limited coverage of communication signals, and a slow progress in satellite launches. However, last month, South Korea and the United States completely abolished the "missile guidelines", and the South Korean government immediately launched an independent satellite launch plan while declaring the recovery of missile sovereignty. Because of this, the "door" to the key link of South Korea's development of 6G technology seemed to be suddenly opened.

In the past, Korean companies were not strong in core communications technology. Although the world's first 5G commercial service was launched by South Korea, it was only because the communications company launched the service early. As for communications equipment, one of the core technologies, Korean companies have a very small global market share.

Surprisingly, although South Korea has been a victim of trade protectionism in recent years and many industries have been negatively affected, South Korea's communications technology industry has become a rare exception. While global communications technology companies are competing fiercely, Korean companies have become the ones who "make money quietly." In recent years, Samsung and other Korean companies have begun to surge in their global market share and are gradually forming a trend of competing with other giants.

Looking at the subjective and objective factors, South Korea's development of 6G technology seems to be going smoothly. And with the huge appeal of the fourth industrial revolution and the autonomy of satellite launches, South Korea's development of 6G technology is bound to usher in a process of accumulation and development. But it is worth noting that many countries are making efforts in the field of 6G, and the complex and changing international situation is increasingly compressing the development space of South Korea's economy, trade, science and technology, and diplomacy. Whether South Korea's 6G technology can gain an advantage in the global market in the future remains to be seen.