Korean telco LG Uplus said it recently tested the All-Photonic Transport Network, which is a key technology designed to reduce power consumption in the era of future 6G networks. The demonstration, which was carried out in collaboration with global telecom equipment providers Infinera and Juniper Networks, has the main aim of minimizing conversions between electrical and optical signals to significantly lower energy usage.

The telco noted that this technology not only reduces the power required for data transmission but also efficiently manages the increasing network traffic anticipated in the 6G era.

The Asian telco highlighted that the core innovation lies in reducing energy-intensive signal conversions and developing network architectures using all-photonic device components, adding that this test highlights its commitment to building sustainable 6G networks.

LG Uplus is also advancing other 6G-related technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), open networks and RAN and network APIs.

Last month, LG Uplus announced the release of its “6G White Paper: Non-Terrestrial Networks,” which explores the future direction of 6G mobile communications services.

The white paper presents strategies for enabling global communications services using low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites, which support non-terrestrial networks.

LG Uplus predicted that satellite data centers combining satellites and edge computing will be established in the 6G era.

Earlier this year, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced the launch of the so-called '6G Society', a new initiative aimed at strengthening technological exchange and cooperation between 6G mobile communications field and satellite communications field, according to Korean press reports.

The government noted that ‘6G Society’ was planned to promote communication and interchange between the satellite communication field and the 6G mobile communication field, which are gaining importance as one of the essential 6G technologies.

The ministry also highlighted that the organic union of terrestrial mobile communication and satellite communication technology in the 6G era will be key in order to implement hyperspace communication services connecting land, sea and air. The ministry also stated that it aims to develop 6G wireless communication with hyper-connectivity, ultra-low latency and hyper-space with continuous cooperation between both fields from the technology development stage.

The government also explained that the ‘6G Society’ will act as a bilateral consultation body between the 6G Forum, which currently focuses on the 6G mobile communications field and the Satellite Communications Forum.

With this new body, the ministry plans to share standardization trends in the mobile communication and satellite communication fields and discuss technology development and measures to connect relevant technologies.

In November 2023, MSIT unveiled its KRW440.4 billion ($324.5 million) research and development plan for future 6G networks.

The ministry noted that the plan includes developing technologies related to wireless communications, mobile core networks, 6G wired networks, 6G systems and the standardization of 6G.

The ministry also said it will work to standardize the locally-developed 6G technologies in line with the international standardization requirements, which are expected to start being established as early as next year, the report stated.

South Korea’s 6G plan also involves the development of technologies for the upper-mid band, which covers the frequency range of 7 GHz to 24 GHz, to advance the 5G network service.

The ministry also aims to showcase the intermediate outcome of its 6G network development in 2026 to play a leading role in setting the international standards for the next-generation network service, the report added.

Finnish vendor Nokia recently highlighted that it is seeing South Korea as a likely candidate to commercialize 6G wireless networks and related services by 2029.

According to rcrwireless.com