SKT and Samsung Electronics to Jointly Develop 6G AI-RAN Technology

(Seoul=Yonhap Infomax) Young Sook Yoon – SK Telecom Co., South Korea's leading mobile carrier (KRX:017670), and Samsung Electronics Co., the nation's largest company by market value (KRX:005930), have announced a strategic partnership to jointly develop artificial intelligence (AI)-powered radio access network (AI-RAN) technology, a core component of next-generation 6G mobile communications.

The collaboration aims to bolster competitiveness in next-generation network technologies and lay the groundwork for the commercialization of 6G.

On the 26th, SK Telecom said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Samsung Electronics to accelerate joint research on 6G AI-RAN technology.

Under the agreement, the two companies will jointly research and validate key 6G technologies, including AI-based channel estimation, distributed multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission and reception, AI-RAN-based schedulers, and core network technologies.

The joint research will be led by SK Telecom's Network Technology division and Samsung Research, the advanced R&D hub of Samsung Electronics.

SK Telecom will provide data and build demonstration infrastructure, while Samsung Research will focus on advancing AI channel estimation models and distributed MIMO algorithms.

Both SK Telecom and Samsung Electronics, as members of the AI-RAN Alliance, have been intensifying their technical collaboration since last year. In June, the companies jointly proposed and secured approval for AI-based channel estimation technology at the alliance's general meeting in Espoo, Finland. In November, at the Boston general meeting in the United States, they presented research results on the technology, continuing their active research efforts.

ysyoon@yna.co.kr

(End)