South Korea To Launch 6G Network In 2028, Two Years Earlier Than Planned: Report

In an attempt to secure an early dominance of the future wireless frequencies, South Korea plans to launch commercial 6G network service in 2028, two years earlier than its original schedule.

In an attempt to secure an early dominance of the future wireless frequencies, South Korea plans to launch commercial sixth generation (6G) network service in 2028, two years earlier than its original schedule, the media has reported. 

According to South Korea's Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Ministry, the development of the next-gen network service is to happen two years faster than the original plan to pursue early access to the future, says a report by news agency Yonhap.

The South Korean government is looking to incentivise the production of materials, components and equipment for the development of its 6G network. The country is also reportedly planning to strengthen its supply chain to support the network. The project is being reported to be worth 625.3 billion won (or about USD 482.1 million).

Under the K-Network 2030 plan, the South Korean government will advance the launch of 6G network commercial services by securing world-class 6G technology, innovating software-based next-generation mobile networks and strengthening network supply chains, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT said.

South Korea is the fourth-largest Asian economy and accounted for 25.9 per cent of 5G patents last year, just behind market leader China at 26.8 per cent. The country’s government has said it aims to raise that figure to 30 per cent or more in the upcoming 6G network patent competition.

Meanwhile, India officially launched 5G in October last year and the fifth-generation network service is yet to be available in all the cities and towns. However, about 32 per cent of mobile service subscribers do not have coverage for a majority of their day despite paying for 4G/5G services and 69 per cent of those surveyed are facing call connection and drop issues daily, a report recently said.

Only 26 per cent of mobile services subscribers said their home has good voice coverage for all the existing operators while 5 per cent said their workplace has good voice coverage for all three operators, according to LocalCircles.