Samsung Electronics today hosted the Silicon Valley Future Wireless Summit under the theme “Future Wireless for the AI Era” in Mountain View, California.

Following the announcement of 5G-Advanced standards by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP¹) in March, the industry anticipates an expanded application of AI technology in telecommunications. In particular, as preparations for 6G communications intensify, interest in next-generation communication technologies utilizing AI continues to grow.

In this environment, Samsung Electronics organized the Silicon Valley Future Wireless Summit to share the vision and possibilities that come with a communications system that applies AI technology.

The event attracted approximately 80 distinguished participants, including representatives from major telecommunications operators, manufacturers, government agencies and academia from various countries, who engaged in comprehensive discussions about the trajectory of research and technologies for AI-native² communications.

“Since the introduction of 5G, the telecommunications market has increasingly focused on enhancing user experience alongside performance improvements through innovative technologies like AI and energy efficiency advancements,” said Angelo Jeongho Park, Vice President of Samsung Research’s Advanced Communications Research Center at Samsung Electronics. “Starting with this summit, we will help industry and academic leaders to work together to continue the much-needed research already being carried out on the convergence of AI and wireless communication technologies, making the user experience even better.”

Sharing Developments in AI-Native Communication Technology: The Direction of Next-Gen Communication Research

The summit commenced with a keynote presentation from industry experts titled, “Shaping the Future of Next Generation Mobile Communication,” followed by three main sessions: “AI-Native Communication,” “Sustainability: Energy Saving & Efficiency,” and “Innovations to Drive Future Wireless.” Each session included panel discussions, facilitating dynamic exchanges between participants through Q&A sessions and active debates.

In “AI-Native Communication,” participants carried out an in-depth discussion on the potential benefits of AI-Native being applied to all areas of telecommunications, as well as emerging services and key challenges that require resolution.

“Sustainability: Energy Saving & Efficiency” focused on key technologies and required research for sustainable 6G communication systems that are emerging as major technical trends — including energy savings and efficiency improvements.

Later on, the discussions between panelists at “Innovations to Drive Future Wireless” explored the 6G network architecture innovations needed to provide services and user experiences that are more differentiated than those provided by 5G.

The technical demonstration session that closed out the day introduced AI radio access network (RAN) technology that has been jointly developed by Samsung Electronics and its partners. The cutting-edge technology that applies AI to RAN enhances base station quality by optimizing key performance factors such as spectral efficiency and energy efficiency.

The event facilitated the valuable exchange of information between key players while also addressing the path forward for the industry, which will see the convergence of AI and wireless communication technologies.

Improving User Experiences With AI-Native Next-Gen Communication Technology

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics continues its efforts to expand the global influence of next-generation communication technologies utilizing AI.

In February this year, the company served as a founding member of the AI-RAN Alliance, currently holding board membership and vice chairing the AI on RAN working group. In July, Samsung secured the chairpersonship of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) 6G standardization group in the radio communication sector, demonstrating its commitment to 6G research and ecosystem development. The company has also been reappointed as vice chair of the board of directors at Next G Alliance (NGA), strengthening its leadership in AI-native communications technology even further.

Additionally, the company actively solidified its collaborative efforts in August, when it signed a memorandum of understanding with Japanese mobile carrier NTT DOCOMO for joint research on the application of AI in next-generation communications.

¹ 3GPP is dedicated to developing the global unified technical specifications for mobile communications.
² AI-native technologies are fundamentally designed and built around AI from inception, rather than having AI added at a later stage.

Researcher HyoungJin Choi from Samsung Research was named chair of the Coordination Group on IMT-2030 (6G) at the ITU-R Working Party 5D (WP 5D) meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland from June 25 to July 2. It will be Choi’s second time chairing a group at the ITU-R involved in 6G standardization as he had previously led the 6G Vision Group from 2021 to 2023.

The Coordination Group will be responsible for defining the process for developing 6G technology standards as well as creating the submission template for candidate 6G technologies and reviewing candidate proposals.

The standardization of next-generation communications involves a highly competitive and collaborative process among different stakeholders.

In November 2023, the ITU-R released the IMT-2030 Framework Recommendation, outlining the future and general direction of 6G. By 2026, the ITU-R aims to establish the technical performance requirements of 6G technologies. These requirements will serve as the foundation for candidate 6G technologies to be developed by standards organizations like the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)² and later submitted to the ITU-R. The ITU-R will then evaluate and coordinate the submissions, with technical specifications for 6G expected to be finalized by 2030.

With the IMT-2030 Framework Recommendation providing key performance indicators, usage scenarios and a roadmap for the standardization, spectrum and commercialization of 6G, the industry is now poised to embark on detailed standardization efforts. Moving forward, countries and companies will vie for leadership in setting 6G communications standards, including performance requirements and frequency bands.

Samsung will actively engage with influential standards organizations and continue developing innovative communications technologies en route to reinforcing its position as a global leader in 6G standardization.

¹ The ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICT) with memberships of 193 Member States and more than 1000 companies, universities, research institutes and international and regional organizations. The ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) is responsible for regulating and standardizing global radio communication.
² 3GPP is dedicated to developing the global unified technical specifications for mobile communications.