▲ 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.

SRA has become a founding member of Princeton University’s NextG Initiative Corporate Affiliates Program to lead 6G research and development.

In 2023, Princeton University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science established the NextG Initiative to accelerate the adoption of new technologies and increase the flow of innovation across a range of topics — including cloud and edge networks, intelligent sensing, and network resilience. Recently, the NextG Initiative launched a corporate affiliates program to champion for these technological advancements and encourage cooperation between academia, industry leaders and policymakers.

“The best academic research to help realize the promise of future wireless networks is informed by close interactions between faculty and industry technology leaders,” said Andrea Goldsmith, Dean of Princeton’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. “Our NextG program aims to foster those deep collaborations around wireless technology, as well as policy, that are required to drive meaningful innovation and global leadership in an era of rapid change.”

Samsung Research America will work closely with Princeton University to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world applications — alongside fellow corporate affiliates including Ericsson, Intel, MediaTek, Nokia Bell Labs, Qualcomm Technologies and Vodafone.

Dr. Charlie Zhang, Senior Vice President at Samsung Research America, expressed his support for studies in next-generation telecommunications. “The wireless industry has benefited significantly from fundamental research in the past few decades,” he said. “We encourage Princeton’s researchers to continue innovation and develop disruptive technologies that could bring major breakthroughs in 6G.”

In May 2019, Samsung established the Advanced Communications Research Center (ACRC) under Samsung Research to spearhead the development of next-generation communication technology.

By publishing the 6G white paper in July 2020 and the 6G spectrum white paper in May 2022, ACRC has positioned itself as a market leader in driving the 6G landscape. Samsung Research is playing a crucial role in the global standardization of 6G technology as the company chairs both the 6G Framework Group of the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) and the Spectrum Group of the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA).

To further demonstrate its leadership in 6G communication research and development, Samsung hosted the inaugural Samsung 6G Forum in May 2022. The collaboration between Samsung’s industry leadership and Princeton’s academic prowess sets the stage for the NextG Initiative to become a monumental force in shaping the future of 6G.

▲ Juho Lee, a fellow at Samsung Research, won the Excellence in Supporting Standardization for Communications Award from IEEE ComSoc at the GLOBECOM 2023 conference on December 5.

Juho Lee, a fellow at Samsung Electronics’ advanced R&D hub Samsung Research (SR), received a Career Award for his outstanding leadership and technical contributions in standardization of wireless communication from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) — the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.

In recognition of his leadership and pivotal role in the development and standardization of global mobile communication technologies, Lee won the inaugural Excellence in Supporting Standardization for Communications Award established this year by the IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc). Lee was the sole recipient of the award, honoring his outstanding contributions to the industry.

The winners of IEEE ComSoc Career Awards are selected through a rigorous judging process, with 14 judges deliberating over candidates for two months. Recipients were recognized at an award ceremony on December 5 at the 2023 IEEE Global Communications (GLOBECOM) conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Lee has been leading research and standardization of mobile communication technology since 2000 when the commercialization of 3G smartphones began. From February 2003 to August 2009, Lee served as vice-chair of the Radio Access Network Working Group 1 (RAN WG1) at the 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) — a global mobile communications standardization organization — where he contributed to the standardization of 4G LTE technology. In 2018, Lee was elected as an IEEE Fellow, a distinction reserved for top IEEE members who have accomplished extraordinary achievements.

“It is an honor to be named the first winner of the IEEE ComSoc Excellence in Supporting Standardization for Communications Award,” he said. “Going forward, I will continue to research, develop and standardize advanced mobile communications technologies such as 5G and 6G technology.”

Lee joins the prestigious ranks of previous Samsung executives who have also been recipients of IEEE ComSoc Career Awards. Former Samsung Vice Chairman Ki-Tae Lee, who played an instrumental role in the development of Samsung’s Anycall mobile phone series, was awarded the IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Industry Leader Award in 2004. Former Samsung Vice Chairman Jong-Kyun Shin, who made the world’s first color phone, received the same award in 2016.

A leader in mobile communication technology standardization, Samsung Research holds a total of six officials in the 3GPP: two chairs and four vice-chairs. In July 2020, Samsung published “The Next Hyper-Connected Experience for All,” a 6G white paper outlining the company’s vision for the next era of communication. Samsung and Samsung Research’s experts are vigorously working to realize the commercialization of 6G around 2030.

Samsung’s brand value increased across all business areas in 2023 despite sluggish demand in the global IT industry. According to Interbrand, Samsung Electronics’ evaluation was positively influenced by the following:

• Consistent company-wide improvement of the customer experience based on the “One Samsung” strategy.
• The increased level of connectivity and enhanced gaming experiences through the company’s wide-ranging product portfolio and SmartThings.
• The company’s role as a leader in future innovative technologies such as 6G, artificial intelligence (AI), automotive, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
• Consistent actions to strengthen ESG leadership through eco-conscious activities across all product lines.

“Thanks to the support of our customers around the world, Samsung Electronics’ brand value has continued to grow steadily, despite an overall challenging business environment,” said YH Lee, President of the Global Marketing Office at Samsung Electronics. “We will always strive to be a brand that is loved by our customers through leading in technology innovation, enabling meaningful experiences and continuing our sustainability efforts.”

Brand Value Driven by SmartThings, Gaming Experience, Industry-Leading Innovations and ESG Leadership

Late last year, Samsung Electronics established the Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Center under the Global Marketing Office to provide an integrated online and offline experience. The company also has the CX-MDE Center — which is responsible for strengthening the multi-device experience — to increase synergy between products and improve the overall customer experience.

Partnerships were also a major factor that drove Samsung’s brand value over the past year. Based on SmartThings, which provides a unified connectivity experience, Samsung is further strengthening its open partnerships to connect not only its own products but also various third-party devices. In addition, the partnerships with various companies across mobile, tablet, TV, PC and monitor products provide customers with an optimized gaming experience.

Samsung continues to invest in leading future technologies such as 5G/6G, AI and automotive that will enable and empower the consumers of tomorrow. In the semiconductor sector, the company was recognized for its industry-first innovations such as 12nm-class DDR5 DRAM and for actively addressing the promising industries from AI to automotive and advanced mobile devices.

ESG has been a major focal point, as the company’s eco-conscious activities are making an impact. Samsung’s efforts include increasing the usage of recycled materials, such as plastics from discarded fishing nets, glass and aluminum in Galaxy S23 and Galaxy Z Flip5ㆍFold5 series, open licensing of solar cell remote technology used in TVs, working together with Patagonia on the Less Microfiber Filter for washing machines and introducing AI energy mode in SmartThings Energy.

Samsung’s Recognized Efforts in Each Business Division

Mobile

• Camera innovation of the Galaxy S23 series based on customers’ insights
• Launching the “Join the Flip Side” campaign and maintaining its leadership in the foldable phone category
• Strengthening its position in the gaming industry to optimize gaming performance in the Galaxy devices by working with industry leading gaming partners
• Consistently enhancing the accessibility of its products and services, including the “Ambient Sound” feature on the Galaxy Buds
• The Samsung Global Goals app to mobilize the Galaxy community and educate them about ways to support the Global Goals

Networks

• Pioneering 5G innovation through technical leadership such as 5G virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN) and Open RAN
• Strengthening its position in the 5G industry through strong partnerships with global Tier 1 telecommunications operators
• Communicating the sustainability aspects of Samsung’s 5G network technology

Visual Display

• Consolidating global market leadership through continuous product innovation, including Neo QLED 8K and Micro LED
• Strengthening its position in the gaming industry through innovative products such as the Odyssey Ark, the Samsung Gaming Hub and partnerships with global leading game streaming services
• Enhancing accessibility through Relumino Mode¹ and RNIB (Royal National Institute for Blind People) partnerships

Home Appliances

• Maintaining global leadership in major home appliance categories such as refrigerators and washing machines
• Enhancing user experience throughout product life cycle based on customer insights
• Introducing a new role for home appliances with Bespoke products and winning CES Innovation Award, iF Design Award and more

Semiconductor

• Delivering industry-first innovations, such as 12nm-class DDR5 DRAM and solidifying market leadership
• Strengthening partnerships in high growth areas such as AI and automotive
• Expanding Exynos applications into wearables and 5G
• Enhancing credibility with ISOCELL sensors in flagship smartphones from major manufacturers
• Consistently strengthening ESG communications

Interbrand’s Best Global Brands are listed according to the evaluation of each brand value, which is a result of comprehensive analysis of the financial performance of the company, the influence of the brand on customer purchases and brand competitiveness. It is a brand value evaluation with one of the longest histories in the world and is widely recognized for its credibility.

¹ Relumino Mode: a viewing mode designed to augment the visual capabilities of those with low vision, highlighting specific parts of videos such as contrast, color and sharpness.

▲ (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.

As anticipation and competition ramp up around the development of 6G technology, Samsung Electronics is set to hold its first-ever Samsung 6G Forum on May 13. Under the theme of ‘The Next Hyper-Connected Experience for All.’, leading global experts from academia and industry in the area of next-generation communications technologies will be discussing the future of those technologies that are set to drive significant changes.

In order to introduce some of the technologies being prepared by Samsung ahead of the upcoming Forum, Samsung Newsroom undertook a virtual roundtable with Samsung Research’s¹ leading experts in the field. Sunghyun Choi, Executive Vice President and Head of the Advanced Communications Research Center at Samsung Research, and Charlie Zhang, Senior Vice President at Samsung Research America, came together virtually to share some of their most recent research and breakthroughs within the 6G communications technologies, as well as what they anticipate the future of the field will look like. The virtual roundtable was moderated by Jaebum Park, researcher at Samsung Research’s 6G Research Team.

Read on to learn more about the groundbreaking work Samsung Research has been undertaking in order to prepare for the next generation of communications technologies.

Jaebum Park Welcome and thank you to both of you for joining this online roundtable. Firstly, as are all well aware, the competition surrounding the development of 6G technologies has steadily been increasing. After accomplishing the world’s first commercialization of 5G, Samsung is now working hard at its research and development (R&D) into 6G. Why is this 6G R&D so important?

Sunghyun Choi 6G is the next-generation communications technology that will bring huge changes to every aspect of our lives, as well as to various industries. It requires prolonged effort and investment to bring about. Samsung is striving to lead 6G R&D and standardization, with the goal of bringing next-level, hyper-connected experiences to our customers.

Park In July 2020, Samsung released a white paper entitled “The Next Hyper-Connected Experience for All.” which outlined the company’s vision for 6G. Can you tell us more about the technologies Samsung currently is working on to realize this vision?

Choi 6G is expected to be characterized by ultra-wideband, ultra-low latency, ultra-intelligence and hyper-spatialization. Unlike communications technologies of previous generations, 6G is expected to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) technology. To this end, Samsung is developing a range of innovative solutions; an AI based technology that reduces power consumption at base stations, and a technology that utilizes AI at the receiver to compensate the signal distortion caused by the nonlinearity of a transmitter’s power amplifier and hence, can significantly improve the coverage and quality of high-rate data signals were both recently developed, for example. We have also seen growing demand for greater coverage.

In response to these requirements, Samsung proposes considering all available bands for 6G, from low-band under 1 gigahertz (GHz) to mid-band in the 1-24 GHz range and through to high-band in the 24-300 GHz range. We also need to consider the existing bands used for 3G, 4G and 5G networks. Higher bands tend to have a shorter transmission distance. In order to mitigate this issue, Samsung has developed solutions such as Cross Division Duplex (XDD) technology, whose standardization process is already underway, and is also pursuing the development of technologies such as Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS), which improves beam sharpness and can steer or reflect the wireless signal to a desired direction by use of a metamaterial surface.

The Samsung Research Advanced Communications Research Center in fact recently published a white paper, entitled “6G Spectrum: Expanding the Frontier” which includes ways to obtain the spectrum needed to achieve the company’s 6G vision. We are also closely working with leading global experts from academia and industry in the area of next-generation communications technologies.

Park The white paper lays out the company’s vision for securing global frequency bands for 6G. I have heard that Samsung Research America, along with Samsung Research and researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), recently managed to successfully demonstrate wireless communications in the terahertz (THz) band which is one of the candidate bands for 6G.

Charlie Zhang The THz spectrum covers from 100 GHz to 10 THz. Our team was responsible for building a proof-of-concept (PoC) prototype system able to demonstrate the potential of the THz spectrum, including related distance, data rate, RF (Radio Frequency) and baseband system capacity.

In collaboration with Professor Mark Rodwell’s research team at UCSB and the Samsung Research team based in Korea, in 2021, we succeeded in demonstrating 6G THz wireless communication with phased-array beamforming capability.

Even though we still have a long way to go to improve the performance, this achievement of phased-array beamforming at a long distance is an important milestone for THz research as it demonstrated the clear potential of the THz spectrum for future cellular communication.

Park The commercial launch of 6G is not expected to occur soon. However, the competition surrounding the development of 6G technologies has steadily been increasing. What would you characterize as Samsung’s unique advantages when it comes to developing these next-generation technologies?

Choi Samsung is a company that offers a wide variety of products, ranging from smartphones and base stations to chipsets – something that it is not at all common in the industry. Furthermore, in April 2019, Samsung was among the first to realize the commercialization of 5G. Samsung also has a strong track record of having led technology standardization with its partners for many years at the telecommunications standards organization that develops unified global standards for mobile telecommunications, the 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

Zhang In order to accelerate the development process of the next generation telecommunications system to the point where it can become a commercial reality, development and utilization of various technologies are key, and at Samsung Research, we are very happy to see that many partners are joining us in these efforts. Samsung Research was one of the first research institutes in the world to publish a 6G vision white paper. Following on from our previous collaborations, we will continue, along with various partners, to identify key solutions in order to successfully commercialize 6G technology.

Park I understand that the standardization of 6G technology is expected to begin around 2025. Could you please introduce the standardization process and the work that needs to be done to successfully achieve 6G standardization?

Choi The future of communications technology will be defined by its ability to bring the next hyper-connected experience to all. Communications technologies enable human-to-human, human-to-machine and machine-to-machine connections. To connect different devices or machines, we need the same standard of communications across the board, and the process to set this standard is called ‘standardization.’ To standardize the communications technologies, the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R), an agency of the United Nations, first defines the technical requirements, which is then followed by the work of organizations such as 3GPP to establish technical standards according to these requirements. The standard for a new generation of communications technology is developed through the process of submitting proposals and reaching the consensus among constituting members.

While it is essential to develop outstanding technologies, it is also important to form a consensus on 6G technologies in the standardization process. As part of this effort, Samsung is holding its first-ever Samsung 6G Forum on May 13, which will see leading experts from all over the world in the mobile communications field gather to discuss 6G.

Park Can you please elaborate more on what we can expect from Samsung’s first-ever 6G Forum?

Choi The upcoming Samsung 6G Forum will be a sphere within which the world’s top experts in the field can set the tone for the future of 6G. We are set to have presentations and panel discussions on the topic of 6G air interface in the morning, and will then hold presentations and panel discussions about AI-based intelligent networks for 6G in the afternoon. Anyone interested in 6G technologies is able to participate in the Forum through online pre-registration.

Zhang At the 6G Forum, Samsung will be demonstrating some of the 6G candidate technologies that it has been developing over the past three years, as well as the company’s vision for future technology development. Although there is still a long road ahead of us before we achieve 6G commercialization, I believe that the hyper-connected experiences across all areas of life that 6G is set to bring us will become a reality sooner rather than later by bringing together industry, academia and research experts regularly through the opportunities like Samsung 6G Forum.

Park These days, the term ‘6G’ is a commonly known one. The general gist of what the 6G era will bring includes communications speed increases and mobile-based virtual reality experiences, changes that will totally transform users’ daily lives. I am curious what you, as two leaders in 6G research and development, have to say about what the biggest changes are set to be for this era?

Choi From my perspective, the era of 6G is set to connect as many as 500 billion devices, resulting in the vehicles, appliances and even the buildings around us being connected to this super-fast communications network.

Samsung Research defines the biggest changes in three ways: firstly, services such as truly-immersive extended reality (XR), high-fidelity mobile holograms and digital replicas will be possible. Secondly, the performance of telecommunications networks is set to improve greatly thanks to the implementation of AI technologies. Finally, the connected experience offered to users will be available anytime and anywhere, from the Arctic to the Antarctic and from the ground to the sky.

Zhang Even now, limited XR devices and services such as VR and AR exist and digital replication technology is already being harnessed in industrial IoT. However, the limitations of hardware devices and communications performance mean that the utilization of these technologies is not high. In a world where 6G technology is universal, those truly-immersive XR and high-fidelity mobile holograms, as once seen only in science fiction movies, will become possible. Furthermore, by bringing together the virtual and real worlds, it will become possible to safely and easily address problems encountered in the real world.

Park What are your thoughts on the future direction of and your goals for 6G technology research?

Zhang At Samsung Research America, we will focus on undertaking research into how to successfully commercialize 6G technology along with our partners. Along with our research into THz, we are planning to continue our research to improve high-capacity data transmission and latency and to simplify future network deployment. Research collaboration with industry and academia will continue to accelerate the realization of the 6G vision of providing next-generation hyper-connected experiences across all areas of life.

Choi The process of preparing for 6G commercialization that Samsung is working on is set to be a long and painstaking one, requiring a lot of hard work. This cannot be achieved by Samsung alone, and will require the collaboration of industries, academics and governments alike. We at Samsung intend to play a leading role in leading both innovation and collaboration.

Park I’d like to thank you both for your time today. Do you have any closing remarks you would like to share?

Zhang It has been an honor to speak with you today and introduce the efforts and vision of Samsung Research for 6G. While there are many challenges ahead, I agree with Dr. Choi that by continuing innovation and collaboration, we can definitely achieve the goal of bringing the next hyper-connected experience to every corner of life via 6G.

Choi The first step in moving towards our joint goal of realizing 6G will be taken at the Samsung 6G Forum, and we look forward to the interest and participation of many at the event.

If you are interested in pre-registering online to take part in the Samsung 6G Forum on May 13, you may do so by visiting the event website until the day of the event. As well as receiving event schedule updates, registered guests will also be able to leave questions on the website prior to each session.

The Samsung 6G Forum, divided into two sessions, will be broadcast live online via Samsung’s YouTube channel. Be sure to tune in on May 13 to learn more about the future of the hyper-connected experience, and stay tuned to Samsung Newsroom for all the latest news about 6G.

¹ Samsung Research, Samsung Electronics’ advanced R&D hub, leads the development of future technologies for the company’s Device eXperience (DX) Division.

“We have started on our journey long ago to understand, develop and standardize the 6G communications technology,” said Sunghyun Choi, Executive Vice President and Head of the Advanced Communications Research Center at Samsung Research.² “We are committed to taking the lead and sharing our findings to spread our vision to bring the next hyper-connected experience to every corner of life.”

6G Spectrum: Expanding the Frontier

6G would require spectrum with ultra-wideband contiguous bandwidth ranging from hundreds of MHz to tens of GHz to enable new services such as high-fidelity mobile holograms and truly immersive extended reality (XR) that are characterized by ultra-high speed communications and large amount of data. There is also growing demand for greater coverage. In response to these requirements, Samsung proposes considering all available bands for 6G, from low-band under 1 GHz, to mid-band in the 1-24 GHz range and high-band in the 24-300 GHz range.

It also highlights the importance of securing new bands for commercial deployments of 6G, as 5G networks will still be operational when the 6G deployment starts. The mid-band within the 7-24 GHz range is a candidate that can support faster data speed and reasonable coverage. The sub-terahertz (sub-THz) band in the 92–300 GHz range is being considered for support of ultra-high speed data rate. The white paper also mentions the refarming of existing bands used for 3G, 4G and 5G networks to 6G operation as another way to obtain all the spectrum necessary for 6G. In addition, it notes that research on forward-looking regulations and technologies on spectrum utilization is essential to provide efficient and flexible support of 6G and other services with the limited spectrum.

Recent Findings on 6G Candidate Technologies

Along with the release of the 6G spectrum white paper, Samsung also highlights its research findings on some of 6G candidate technologies – specifically about sub-THz band communications, reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS), cross division duplex (XDD), full duplex, artificial intelligence (AI)-based nonlinearity compensation (AI-NC) and AI-based energy saving (AI-ES).

Sub-THz is considered a spectrum candidate for 6G communications, which is expected to support the data rate up to 1 Terabits per second (Tbps), 50 times faster than 20 Gbps of 5G networks. Samsung successfully demonstrated 6 Gbps data rate at a 15 meters distance indoors in June 2021, and 12 Gbps at a 30 meters distance indoors and 2.3 Gbps at a 120 meters distance outdoors the following year.

RIS can improve the beam sharpness and can steer or reflect the wireless signal to a desired direction with the use of a metamaterial surface. It can reduce the penetration loss and blockage of high frequency signal, e.g., mmWave. Samsung demonstrated that their RIS lens technology can enhance the signal strength by four times and the beam steering range by 1.5 times.

XDD can improve the propagation distance of uplink signal up to two times in the TDD system by enabling the continuous uplink transmission in a small portion of the system bandwidth. Hence, XDD is capable of dramatically enhancing the coverage of the TDD system often used in high-frequency bands. Samsung demonstrated its core technology, self-interference cancellation at the base station.

With full duplex, the data transmission and reception can take place simultaneously using the same frequency so that the data speed increases up to two times. Samsung carried out a successful trial of the full duplex in the mmWave band with a base station and a terminal 100 meters apart, demonstrating the self-interference cancellation of over 114 dB and 1.9 times improvement in the data rate.

AI-NC utilizes AI at the receiver to compensate the signal distortion caused by the nonlinearity of a transmitter’s power amplifier and hence, can significantly improve the coverage and quality of high-rate data signals. Samsung demonstrated 1.9 times improvement of the coverage for high-speed uplink data and 1.5 times improvement of the transmission speed for a given coverage.

AI-ES capitalizes on AI to minimize energy consumption at the base station by adjusting the parameters controlling the power on/off of selected cells depending on traffic load, without affecting network performance. In a real data-based replicated simulation of base stations, Samsung applied AI-ES to demonstrate an energy saving of more than 10%.

Samsung plans to share more details and the findings of its 6G research at the company’s first Samsung 6G Forum (samsung6gforum.com) scheduled on May 13, 2022.

For more information on ‘Samsung Tech Forum’, please visit Samsung Research website at research.samsung.com/events.

¹ Samsung’s 6G spectrum white paper is available for download at research.samsung.com.

² Samsung Electronics’ advanced R&D hub, which leads the development of future technologies for its Device eXperience division

Topics covered during the event included Samsung’s 5G vision and latest network innovations; its industry-leading virtualized solutions to bring innovation for mobile operators and enterprises; its new range of chipsets to be embedded in the Samsung’s next-generation 5G solutions; and the company’s complete lineup of private network solutions to transform industries.

Check out some highlights from the event below.

At the event, Samsung Networks highlighted key developments in its global expansion, which includes delivery of over four million 5G-ready radios around the world. Samsung focused on how it is advancing virtualization to drive next-generation networks, and leading 5G radio innovation by embedding its radios with the company’s latest in-house chipsets.

“We are delighted to discuss the infinite possibilities of wireless technology, as we continue our 5G journey, and pave the way towards the next phase of 5G,” said Paul (Kyungwhoon) Cheun, President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung’s 5G vision includes bringing together the best global expertise and technical insights that can help operators and consumers take full advantage of 5G benefits. We’re grateful that our customers and partners have joined us on this journey, and look forward to achieving many more 5G milestones together.”

The following are key areas of advancement that Samsung Networks leadership covered at the virtual event:

Virtualization

Virtualization of an entire network from Radio Access Network (RAN) to Core will offer multiple benefits to operators, bringing greater efficiency, scalability and flexibility in network management, as well as easier upgrades through software implementations. Recent vRAN accomplishments include the following solutions:

• Samsung vRAN has virtualized all elements of a baseband unit. Backed by years of R&D, Samsung deployed the industry’s first fully-virtualized commercial 5G RAN delivered end-to-end (Link). Recently, the company demonstrated the capability to support multi-gigabit speeds of Massive MIMO radios on COTS servers (Link), showing how the performance of vRAN technology is now near the performance of custom hardware solutions.

• Samsung vCore is built with a cloud-native containerized architecture, enabling operational automation while ensuring optimized performance. With high adaptability and scalability, Samsung 5G vCore allows network operators to quickly launch new services and upgrade per business needs. Since introducing its first virtualized Core in 2015, the company has successfully commercialized the world’s first 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) vCore, and achieved a significant milestone in data processing capacity on its 5G Standalone (SA) Core (Link).

• Network management solutions help optimize operational efficiencies in virtualized networks. Samsung Cloud Orchestration, known as SCO, coordinates an entirely automated process of network deployment and optimization. Samsung’s Network Slice Manager supports simplified management of slice resources, while AI-based analytics provides intelligent analysis of network performance.

5G Radios

Samsung has been pioneering 5G technology to support RAN solutions for more than a decade, through research, standardization and commercial rollouts of its highly competitive 5G solutions. New developments are:

• In-House Chipsets: Samsung continues its leadership in chipset research and development, with an expanded line-up of new chipsets, including a 3^rd generation RFIC, 2^nd generation 5G modem and DFE-RFIC integrated chip (Link), part of the company’s initiative to help foster compact and efficient, yet high-performing 5G solutions.

• New Solutions: Samsung continues to expand its 5G radio lineup. The company recently unveiled its wideband radio (Link) supporting 400MHz of bandwidth in mid-band, and designed to help operators drive more flexible and cost-effective deployments. Also introduced are the next generation 5G Compact Macro and baseband units, as well as its new One Antenna Radio (Link), a solution that delivers a more compact form factor with antenna integration, offering simplified installation and deployment efficiencies.

Private Networks

Samsung has the capability to build reliable and secure private networks, leveraging its comprehensive solutions portfolio. The company’s industry-leading 5G solutions offer a resilient backbone to private 5G networks, introducing use cases such as smart factories (Link) and a real-time 4K video monitoring system (Link). Samsung also provides end-to-end PS-LTE solutions, from network equipment to applications and devices. The company is powering the world’s first 3GPP-compliant nationwide PS-LTE network in Korea (Link), and accomplished the demonstration of the industry’s first MCPTX video call on a cloud platform (Link).

6G Future Vision

As part of its networks overview, Samsung Networks: Redefined shares Samsung’s vision of 6G technology, and the world it will help create. Samsung stays ahead in preparing for new generations of wireless technologies. The company led 5G research and development even before 4G deployments, and is already preparing for 6G. Now, the company is set to accelerate 6G innovation, bringing hyper-connected experiences to users (Link). Samsung recently explored the potential of the Terahertz (THz) spectrum application for 6G wireless communications, demonstrating an end-to-end 140GHz wireless link using a fully digital beamforming solution (Link).

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.

On July 14, Samsung released a white paper entitled “The Next Hyper-Connected Experience for All.” outlining the company’s vision for the next generation communication system, namely 6G. The white paper covers various aspects related to 6G, including technical and societal megatrends, new services, requirements, candidate technologies and an expected timeline of standardization.

Samsung’s vision for 6G is to bring the next hyper-connected experience to every corner of life. To accelerate research for 6G, Samsung Research, the advanced R&D hub within Samsung Electronics’ SET Business, founded its Advanced Communications Research Center in May of last year.

“While 5G commercialization is still in its initial stage, it’s never too early to start preparing for 6G because it typically takes around 10 years from the start of research to commercialization of a new generation of communications technology,” explained Sunghyun Choi, Head of the Advanced Communications Research Center. “We’ve already launched the research and development of 6G technologies by building upon the experience and ability we have accumulated from working on multiple generations of communications technology, including 5G. Going forward, we are committed to leading the standardization of 6G in collaboration with various stakeholders across industry, academia and government fields.”

In the white paper, Samsung expects that the completion of the 6G standard and its earliest commercialization date could be as early as 2028, while mass commercialization may occur around 2030. Both humans and machines will be the main users of 6G, and 6G will be characterized by provision of advanced services such as truly immersive extended reality (XR), high-fidelity mobile hologram and digital replica.

Whereas 5G requirements mainly focused on performance aspects, Samsung defines three categories of requirements that have to be met to realize 6G services – performance, architectural and trustworthiness requirements. Examples of 6G performance requirements are a peak data rate of 1,000 Gbps (gigabits per second) and air latency less than 100 microseconds (μs), 50 times the peak data rate and one-tenth the latency of 5G. A comparison of key performance requirements between 6G and 5G is shown in the diagram below.

The architectural requirements of 6G include resolving the issues arising from the limited computation capability of mobile devices as well as implementing AI right from the initial phase of technology development and enabling the flexible integration of new network entities. The trustworthiness requirement addresses the security and privacy issues arising from the widespread use of user data and AI technologies.

The white paper also introduces candidate technologies that could be essential to satisfy the requirements for 6G. These include the use of the terahertz (THz) frequency band, novel antenna technologies to enhance the coverage of high frequency band signals, advanced duplex technologies, the evolution of network topology, spectrum sharing to increase the efficiency of frequency utilization and the use of AI in wireless communications.

Click here to download Samsung’s 6G white paper. More information on Samsung’s latest innovations in the communications technology field may be found on Samsung Research’s website.