Samsung lands a key role in shaping 6G standardisation

With each new generation of mobile networks there’s a need to standardise the technology, and these efforts are carried out primarily within the 3GPP (the 3rd Generation Partnership Project), which is the world’s largest telecoms standards development organisation.

Right now, then, the 3GPP is working towards 6G standardisation, and to that end it has elected Dr Younsun Kim from Samsung Research as Chair of the 3GPP Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network (TSG RAN).

This is one of many groups within the 3GPP, but it’s a major one, as it’s responsible for standardising every aspect of wireless technology, so it will lead any 6G standardisation efforts.

Electing a Samsung employee as Chair then will give Samsung a lot of influence over the standardisation of 6G.

Of his election, Dr Younsun Kim said: “I believe that my election as chair is further recognition of Samsung’s leadership in mobile communication technology. 6G standardisation involves more than just solving technical issues; it is a collaborative effort requiring participation from all companies and organisations in the mobile communication sector.”

Dr Younsun Kim has a proven track record within the 3GPP already, having served as the Chair of Radio Access Network Working Group 1 (RAN WG1), where he played a critical role in standardising 5G physical layer technology.

Samsung as a whole meanwhile has employees in two chair positions and four vice-chair positions, giving it the highest number of chair positions in the 3GPP, which is impressive, given that this group has over 800 member companies, including major players like Apple, Qualcomm, Nokia, Ericsson, and Huawei.

As for what Samsung’s focus will be, the company has simply said: “The advancement of mobile communication systems is now at a turning point. It must not only enhance transmission speeds but also drive 6G standardisation with a focus on new values,” so it will be interesting to see what those “new values” turn out to be.