▲ Dr. Younsun Kim, Master at Samsung Research

Samsung Electronics today announced that it has secured a leadership position at the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the world’s largest telecommunications standard development organization.

During the plenary meeting held in Incheon on March 12, Dr. Younsun Kim, Master at Samsung Research, Samsung Electronics, was elected as Chair of the 3GPP Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network (TSG RAN),¹ which is responsible for standardizing all aspects of wireless technology, such as the physical layer, protocol aspects and radio resource control.

“I believe that my election as chair is further recognition of Samsung’s leadership in mobile communication technology,” said Dr. Kim. “6G standardization involves more than just solving technical issues; it is a collaborative effort requiring participation from all companies and organizations in the mobile communication sector. I will make every effort to successfully lead 3GPP’s TSG RAN and advance the standardization of 6G.”

Since its establishment in 1998, 3GPP has led the development of global mobile communication technology standards with participation from major telecommunications companies and organizations worldwide, including Samsung, Apple, Qualcomm, Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia.

In May 2021, Dr. Kim was elected Chair of Radio Access Network Working Group 1 (RAN WG1), which is the largest working group within 3GPP and responsible for developing physical layer specifications for 3GPP radio access technologies. Over the past four years, Dr. Kim has successfully led the standardization of 5G physical layer technology, significantly contributing to the emergence of the 5G network industry.

Through Dr. Kim’s expanded role as chair of 3GPP TSG RAN starting in May, Samsung will be able to contribute to the standardization of 6G, the next generation of mobile communication technology.

Dr. Kim’s appointment to the chair position of the Technical Specification Group is viewed as a recognition of Samsung’s contributions and technological leadership in the mobile communication industry.

The company currently holds two chair positions in RAN WG1 and SA WG2, as well as four vice-chair positions in RAN WG2, SA WG4, SA WG6 and CT WG3. With Dr. Kim’s election as Chair of TSG RAN, Samsung Electronics will maintain the industry’s highest number of chair positions within 3GPP, even after the RAN WG1 chair term expires, solidifying its pivotal role among over 800 member companies.

The advancement of mobile communication systems is now at a turning point. It must not only enhance transmission speeds but also drive 6G standardization with a focus on new values. 3GPP plans to launch research on 6G in the second half of this year.

6G aims to achieve future-oriented and sustainable advancements in mobile communication technology, including improving the energy efficiency of networks, enhancing network quality using AI and introducing security technologies to prevent attacks originating from quantum computers. At this critical milestone, Dr. Kim’s election as chair by the support from international mobile communication standards experts holds great significance.

Meanwhile, Samsung recently published a 6G White Paper titled, “AI-Native & Sustainable Communication” that outlines the latest trends and future of next-generation mobile communication technologies. It also highlights Samsung’s leadership in 6G research and other key technologies.

With its leadership in next-generation communication technology and Dr. Younsun Kim’s role as Chair of 3GPP, Samsung is expected to lead the standardization of 6G technology and make significant contributions to the advancement of the mobile communication industry overall.

¹ The 3GPP comprises three Technical Specification Groups (TSGs): Radio Access Network (RAN), Service and System Aspects (SA), and Core Network and Terminals (CT). Each TSG consists of 4–6 Working Groups (WGs), for a total of 15 working groups.

▲ (From left to right) Kyeongin Jeong, Jaeyeon Song and Narendranath Durga Tangudu appointed vice-chairs in 3GPP.

Samsung Electronics announced that three Samsung researchers have been elected vice-chairs in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the world’s largest telecommunications standard development organization. Following the appointment, the company now holds a total of seven officials in 3GPP — two chairs and five vice-chairs.

Since its establishment in 1998, 3GPP has united telecommunication companies and organizations around the world, including Samsung, Qualcomm, Apple, Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei and more.

Newly-elected researcher Kyeongin Jeong from Samsung Research America, Samsung’s advanced research organization, has been appointed vice-chair for 3GPP’s Radio Access Network Working Group 2 (RAN WG2). This group is responsible for developing the radio communication protocol standard between 5G handsets and base stations.

Additionally, Jaeyeon Song from Samsung Research and Narendranath Durga Tangudu from Samsung R&D Institute India-Bangalore have been re-elected as vice-chairs following the successful completion of their two-year terms.

Jaeyeon Song will continue to serve as vice-chair of 3GPP’s Service and System Aspects Working Group 4 (SA WG4), a group focused on advancing technology to support immersive media services, including video streaming and extended reality based on 5G. Narendranath Durga Tangudu will remain vice-chair of 3GPP’s Core Network and Terminals Working Group 3 (CT WG3), a group focused on developing the open interface standards that expand 5G networks to third parties, including internet service providers.

In May 2023, Younsun Kim and Andrew Bennett of Samsung Research were appointed chairmen of 3GPP’s Radio Access Network Working Group 1 (RAN WG1) and Service and System Aspects Working Group 2 (SA WG2), respectively.

Through its established leadership in 3GPP, Samsung is set to be at the forefront of technological innovation across the entire telecommunications industry. Beyond the 5G-Advanced standard that is currently in development, Samsung has prepared a solid foundation for 6G, which will be created in cooperation with 3GPP member companies for commercialization around 2030.

The deployment includes Samsung’s Mission-Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT) with multimedia broadcast capabilities, known as evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (eMBMS). This enables simultaneous transmission to up to 2,500 user devices per cell, which is more than twice the volume of devices supported by previous-generation technologies.

In this buildout, the PS-LTE network was also interconnected with the existing LTE-Maritime (LTE-M) and LTE-Railway (LTE-R) networks that were already operating in the 700MHz spectrum.

With nationwide coverage, the network serves as a unified platform that helps ensure interoperability among various public safety institutions. This delivers real-time accessibility and enhanced communications capabilities among public safety agencies and personnel in emergency situations.

“Samsung is proud to take part in building the world’s first nationwide PS-LTE network based on 3GPP standards in Korea, leveraging our end-to-end PS-LTE solutions,” said Seungil Kim, Vice President and Head of Korea Business, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “A reliable network is critical for real-time communication among multiple institutions in case of emergencies. We will continue to offer advanced PS-LTE solutions to bolster Korea’s PS-LTE network, meeting the highest standards for reliability, performance and security.”

Samsung was selected as a provider of end-to-end PS-LTE solutions, from infrastructure to devices, supporting the PS-LTE network buildout beginning in 2018, and completing deployment in March 2021.

With a proven track record of successful network deployments, Samsung continues to lead the advancement of next-generation public safety networks. Last year, Samsung demonstrated the world’s first Mission-Critical Push-to-X (MCPTX) video call on a cloud platform. The company is also leading the standardization of MCPTX over 5G.

For more information, please refer to Samsung’s whitepaper and infographic on mission-critical networks:

• Infographic: Mission-Critical Network in Korea – Captures the current mission-critical network landscape in Korea.
• Whitepaper: Mission-Critical Network Solutions – Highlights the key network components and features of mission-critical networks—including MCPTX, eMBMS and Land Mobile Radio (LMR) and MCPTX interworking function—all offered by Samsung.

Samsung has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions including chipsets, radios, and core. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its market-leading product portfolio from fully virtualized RAN and Core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company is currently providing network solutions to mobile operators that deliver connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world.

The award recognizes individuals who have made significant technical contributions to the continuing innovations in mobile broadband technology and is presented by 3GPP, a global initiative formed to develop technical specifications for the latest mobile broadband standards such as LTE and 5G. An estimated 2,000 researchers are part of 3GPP working groups, and the Excellence Awards are given to up to four individuals each year.

Basavaraj Pattan was recognized for his contributions in the field of mission-critical communications technology and 5G service API platform. Mission-critical communication networks are systems built and designed to guarantee robust, fail-safe and secure communications for use by first responders in case of public emergencies.

Basavaraj Pattan, engineer at Samsung R&D Institute India and recipient of the 2018 3GPP Excellence Award

The impact of Basavaraj Pattan’s expertise is recognized as significant in developing the optimal technical specifications in system networks and devices used in public emergencies, enabling communications through voice calls, texts, videos as well as live broadcasts during events such as natural disasters. His contributions have had positive impacts on Samsung’s ability to deliver mission-critical communication devices to agencies in the U.S. and the U.K.

“It is an honor to receive this coveted award; it demonstrates the excellence of Samsung’s contributions to 3GPP standards,” said Basavaraj Pattan.

This is the fifth time a Samsung employee has received this prestigious award. Past awardees from Samsung include Gert-Jan van Lieshout (2013, SRUK), Himke van der Velde (2014, SRUK), Ricky Kaura (2015, SRUK) and Aris Papasakellariou (2017, SRA).

“Samsung employee receiving this recognition reflects our journey towards Advanced R&D, and our company’s commitment to broadband mission-critical services and a robust platform for 5G services,” said Dr. Aloknath De, CTO in SRI-B.

This photo was taken at the 3GPP Excellence Award ceremony following a SA (Service and System Aspects) 6 Working Group meeting in India. From left to right: Suresh Chitturi, Chairman of 3GPP SA 6 Working Group, Basavaraj Pattan (Awardee), David Chater-Lea (SA6 Vice-Chairman), and Alan Soloway (SA6 Vice-Chairman)

The conference was attended by members of the Department of Telecom (DoT), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC), and Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT). The participants also included a number of key representatives from international organizations and government officials from Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Europe.

“These sessions truly helped understand the flexibility that 5G offers to enable various verticals such as Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) to address the crucial last-mile connectivity problem in India, and the importance of securing both below 6GHz and above 6GHz bands, for enabling 5G India deployments,” said Mr. Srinivasan Sundararajan, Vice President, Samsung Networks Business.

The sessions on 5G were designed to provide an overview of 5G Technology

The sessions on 5G were designed to provide an overview of the 3GPP-defined 5G Technology across the entire stack and end-to-end, covering the aspects of 5G New Radio (NR), Evolution of Core Network, 5G Security Features, and Emerging 5G Verticals. In addition, these knowledge sessions highlighted the key differences between LTE and 5G, and as well as the new enhancements that sets 5G apart from the conventional 4G/3G systems.

“ITU-APT Foundation of India is very happy to partner with Samsung R&D to deliver these unique knowledge sharing sessions. These are very timely in nature and the feedback has been tremendously positive,” said Mr. Bharat Bhatia, President, IAFI, which focusses on development of Indian telecom sector.

The talks also provided an in-depth view into the key concepts of 5G, including the flexibility of 5G NR that meets the requirements of ITU-R vision document – enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low latency (uRLLC), and massive IoT (mIOT), the key concepts of next-generation 5G core (5GC) such as Network Slicing, Service-based Architecture (SBA), 5G security considerations with increased privacy and user plane security, and efforts underway in 3GPP to enable new 5G verticals such as V2X, and Smart Factories.

“It is a unique opportunity and privilege for Samsung to deliver these 5G knowledge sharing sessions. They help the ecosystem in understanding the core aspects of 5G technology, for early preparation around 5G India,” said Mr. Suresh Chitturi, Head of Technology Standards, Samsung R&D Institute, Bengaluru.

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced that it has developed Exynos Modem 5100, the industry’s first 5G modem that is fully compatible with 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 15 (Rel.15), the most up-to-date standard specification for 5G New Radio (5G-NR). Built on power-efficient 10-nanometer (nm) process technology, the new modem also supports legacy radio access technologies designed into a single chip.

“Samsung’s leadership in communication technologies and market-proven knowledge allowed us to develop the industry’s first 5G modem, the Exynos Modem 5100, which fully complies with the latest 3GPP standards,” said Dr. Inyup Kang, president and head of System LSI Business at Samsung Electronics. “As the industry prepares the shift toward 5G, Samsung will continue to drive the growth of innovative ideas and new services in mobile applications and other emerging industries.”

Samsung successfully conducted an over-the-air (OTA) 5G-NR data call test under a wireless environment utilizing a 5G base station and 5G end-user equipment prototype embedded with Exynos Modem 5100. As the test simulated real-world cellular network conditions, this will ensure faster development and commercialization of 5G mobile devices that adopt this new modem. Samsung is also working closely with a number of global mobile carriers and partners to quickly bring 5G mobile communications to the market.

The Exynos Modem 5100 supports both sub-6GHz and mmWave spectrums specified in 3GPP’s 5G standard as well as legacy networks, including 2G GSM/CDMA, 3G WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, HSPA, and 4G LTE, with a single chip solution. As 5G is expected to be first deployed over existing network infrastructures, commercial implementation will benefit from the single-chip design that maximizes data transmission efficiency and reliability between other communication networks.

The modem delivers a maximum downlink speed of up to 2-gigabits per second (Gbps) in 5G’s sub-6-gigahertz (GHz) settings and 6Gbps in mmWave settings, which are about 1.7 and five times the data transfer speeds of its predecessor respectively. Fast and stable data communication can also be secured in 4G networks with the downlink speed of 1.6Gbps.

5G’s capability to transmit large-capacity data and real-time low-latency communication is expected to bring new user experiences not only in mobile but also in areas such as the Internet of Things (IoT), ultra-high resolution videos, holograms, real-time artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous driving.

Exynos Modem 5100 is also offered with radio frequency IC (RFIC), Envelope Tracking (ET) and power management IC (PMIC) solutions, and will be available to customers by the end of 2018.
More information about Samsung’s Exynos products can be found at:http://www.samsung.com/exynos.

Starting May 21, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), an initiative uniting the world’s leading telecommunications standard development organizations, will convene in Busan, Korea to complete communication standards, vital for the commercialization of 5G wireless communications. Samsung Electronics’ research into ultra-high frequency (mmWave) for 5G extends back to 2009 when the Dallas, Texas branch of Samsung Research, formerly known as the Digital Media & Communications (DMC) R&D center, fixed its sights on ultra-high frequency above 6GHz.

Samsung Research’s Dallas, Texas branch, pictured in 2009.

“We had a strong belief in the potential of ultra-high frequency, then considered uncharted space for the industry, and pushed forward in R&D, one step ahead of other companies,” said Sungho Choi, Vice President of the Standard Research Team at Samsung Research. “This was during a time when basically everyone in the telecommunications industry was busy preparing for the transition to 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE), and there was great uncertainty as to what would come after.”

Early Efforts by Samsung Electronics

In 2009, the Dallas office initiated an in-depth study into next generation telecommunications technology and delivered a proposal on ultra-high frequency to Samsung Research. In the extensive 300-page report, ultra-high frequency, with the application of cutting-edge beamforming technology, was seen as the method to solve the challenge of ultra-high-speed, large-volume transmission.

This was at a time, however, when the dominant opinion of papers and books on telecommunications had doubt about the application of ultra-high frequency due to its drawbacks. However, believing in the potential of its discovery, in 2011, Samsung Electronics initiated an in-house project to expand upon research, and in the following year, Samsung Research established a “Next Generation Communications Lab,” accelerating the development of ultra-high frequency and 5G technologies.

As the culmination of its early efforts, Samsung Electronics’ successful demonstration of the world’s first 5G communications, with speed of 1Gpbs, made headlines in 2013, thanks to the close to four years of advanced research at a time when 4G LTE was enjoying its rise to the height of popularity.

In 2013, Samsung Electronics successfully demonstrated the world’s first 5G communications, at a speed of 1Gbps.

Finding the Optimal Band for 5G, 28GHz

The research into ultra-high frequency posed a critical question for the international community related to the ideal frequency band for 5G. At the time, nationally regulated frequencies, in the range between 0 and 300GHz, were already allocated for communications, broadcasting, science and military purposes. The challenge was encouraging as many countries as possible to use the same bands for 5G to accelerate standardization and commercialization.

“When beginning our research, we studied almost every ‘frequency map’ in the world,” said Juyeon Song, Principal Engineer of the Standard Research Lab at Samsung Research. “We arrived at the conclusion that the most applicable ultra-high frequency band is 28GHz.”

Propelling Standard Development After Approval of Ultra-High Frequency as the 5G Candidate Band

Samsung strived to continue technology development after identifying the optimal candidate band for 5G, 28GHz. However, researchers soon reached an impasse: persuading those countries, who had already allocated the band for core industries other than communications, as well as certain business segments, who were reluctant to rush the commercialization of 5G during the dominance of 4G.

“Witnessing the saturation point of using traditional frequencies below 6GHz, more countries began to pay attention to ultra-high frequency,” said Hyoungjin Choi, Principal Engineer of the Standard Research Lab at Samsung Research. “Targeting these countries and companies with a great interest in the utilization of the frequency band and commercialization of 5G laid the foundation for standardization.”

During the 2015 WRC, the Korean government submitted a proposal to utilize ultra-high frequency technology for 5G.

During the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a specialized agency of the United Nations, the Korean government submitted a proposal on by Samsung. However, the issue was alignment with countries that wanted to use the ultra-high frequency band for services other than telecommunications services. During the ensuing four-weeks of marathon meetings, several ultra-high frequency bands were finally approved as candidate bands for 5G, propelling standardization.

Since WRC in 2015, with debate ongoing, Samsung has continued its efforts to advocate and serve as the leading proponent of 5G standardization, towards the aim of the development of technologies related to ultra-high frequencies. Read the second part of this special series for more on Samsung’s journey after 2016 to develop 5G standards, including 28GHz^* ultra-high frequency.

^*The 3GPP is standardizing more than 30 candidate bands from a low frequency of 600MHz to ultra-high frequency of 40GHz. 28GHz is the representative ultra-high frequency band which leading 5G countries are seeking to prioritize to realize 5G commercialization.

A recent vote, held at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in Sophia Antipolis, France, saw Suresh Chitturi (front row, fifth from right) elected as the new Chairman of the 3GPP SA6 Working Group

Mr. Suresh Chitturi, Director for Standards at the Samsung Research Institute in Bangalore, was recently elected as new Chairman of the 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Service and System Aspect 6 (SA6) Working Group by acclamation in Sophia Antipolis, France.

The 3GPP is a collaborative project aimed at developing global standards for acceptable specifications of telecommunications networks. The project is comprised of three Technical Specification Groups (TSGs), under which 16 Working Groups oversee specifications for each sector. In addition to Mr. Chitturi, new Chairman of SA6, other Samsung officials currently serving in elected roles on the 3GPP include one TSG Chairman, two Chairman of Working Groups, and two Vice-Chairman. For his part, Mr. Chitturi will lead the SA6 Working Group for the next two years.

For its part, the SA6 is a key working group responsible for the development of application layer standards. Since its inception in 2014, SA6 has played a significant role in the development of Mission Critical Applications Standards across Long-Term Evolution (LTE), a global standard widely adopted by public safety agencies and other critical communication industry verticals. The Standards enable the use of push-to-talk voice, video and data communications for public protection and disaster relief (PPDR) operations over broadband networks.

“Providing leadership to 3GPP SA6 Working Group, especially in this era of new mobile communications, is a unique opportunity. We at Samsung value the importance of the activity of 3GPP and SA6 in creating a robust platform for future 5G services, leading up to the era of 5G commercialization,” said Mr. Chitturi.

Mr. Chitturi currently serves as the Director for Standards at the Samsung Research Institute in Bangalore, India

While there is a significant industry effort to develop the new 5G standard, which is scheduled to be ready by June this year, the focus on 5G services will be far more critical to the applications of 5G technology. Mission Critical Application Standards, which apply to the essential systems critical to the survival of a business or organization, will remain a key responsibility of SA6 Working Group particularly in the move towards diverse applications of 5G. For instance, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), smart factories, as well as 5G service application programming interface (API) frameworks will allow 3^rd party verticals to leverage the rich capabilities of the 5G core network and new radio.

“Samsung’s leadership in the 5G space has been a result of our technology innovation and strong collaboration with ecosystem players. We recognize the important role of 3GPP and SA6 in shaping the future of 5G services. The appointment of Suresh as the Chairman of 3GPP is testimony of Samsung India R&D team’s strength in defining global standards and the wealth of research talent that Samsung attracts in India,” said Dipesh Shah, Managing Director, SRI-B.

Prior to being elected Chairman, Mr. Chitturi served as Vice-Chairman of SA6 Working Group, providing key contribution to the timely completion of Mission Critical Standards to meet the needs of the Critical Communications industry. Mr. Chitturi also represents Samsung on the Governing Council of TSDSI, the India Telecom Standards Development Organization (SDO), and has previously held leadership positions in several other SDOs such as World Wide Web (W3C), Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), Java Community Process (JCP), and the GSM Association (GSMA).

In addition to the appointment of Mr. Chitturi, Mr. Aris Papasakellariou, Senior Director of Standards at Samsung Research America, received the 2017 3GPP Excellence Award earlier this month for his outstanding contributions in the field of radio access technology for 5G.

Samsung continues its significant contribution and progress in making 5G a reality, with advancements including introduction of the world’s first 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) commercial solutions at MWC 2018, as well as being selected as supplier by many of the world’s leading carrier companies.