SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM, “SKT”) announced today that it held a special 6G session at the SK Tech Summit 2023 to discuss 6G standardization status and the need for global cooperation.

At the 6G session, SKT introduced its R&D activities, including the development of 6G Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) technology in Feb. 2023 and the 6G white paper published for the first time among Korea’s mobile operators, as well as key technologies for the 6G era, such as on-device AI-based power consumption reduction technology, and the current status and evolution of open radio access network technology.

Global mobile operators such as NTT DOCOMO and Bell Canada also participated in the 6G session to highlight global cooperation for the successful standardization and commercialization of 6G.

Takehiro Nakamura, Chief Standardization Officer (CSO) of NTT DOCOMO, delivered the session’s keynote speech, introducing promising 6G technologies and the fruits of the collaboration between SKT and NTT DOCOMO since they signed a strategic partnership agreement in November 2022, including white papers on green mobile networks and 6G requirements.

Javan Erfanian, Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at Bell Canada and the lead author of the 6G white paper of the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance, presented the NGMN Alliance's 6G-related activities and global collaborations including the Alliance’s 6G white paper published early this year.

The NGMN Alliance’s 6G white paper is the result of the joint work of around 40 companies, including SKT, Deutsche Telekom, NTT DOCOMO and Vodafone.

SKT has been emphasizing the need for global collaboration across Korea, Japan, Europe, and the U.S. to ensure a successful 6G era.

The company took part in the Brooklyn 6G Summit (B6GS) held in New York from October 31 to November 2, 2023. Through a keynote speech, SKT shared its 6G key technologies and requirements including 6G network evolution based on AI and explained that technologies like urban air mobility (UAM) and digital twinning will accelerate progress towards 6G. It also stressed the importance of developing killer services and innovative devices and securing sufficient low-band spectrum to make 6G a success.

SKT also took part in Telecoms World Asia 2023 held on November 15-16 in Bangkok, Thailand, and gave a keynote presentation and panel discussion on its 6G readiness. It talked about the importance of discovering innovative services alongside network evolution, securing wide bandwidth in low-band, and expanding the ecosystem through global cooperation.

Furthermore, SKT is leading the 6G standardization efforts by actively participating in various 6G-related activities worldwide, including Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) Global Forum, Open RAN Industry Alliance (ORIA), O-RAN Alliance, 3GPP, and the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) World Radiocommunication Conference. The company will also be hosting the O-RAN Alliance F2F meetings in Asia in June 2024.

“At the largest-ever SK Tech Summit, we introduced our 6G R&D efforts and key technology developments, along with our collaborative activities with global mobile operators,” said Yu Takki, Vice President and Head of Infra Tech Office of SKT. “We will continue to lead the way in creating a 6G ecosystem and developing future network evolution technologies through global cooperation.”