- Strengthening
cooperation with the US and Asia-Pacific nations to secure new frequencies for
next-generation mobile communication and satellite services by 2027.
- MoU with the ITU
signed, regarding dispatches of private sector experts in mobile communication
frequencies, including 6G.
The Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Lee Jong Ho, hereinafter
referred to as 'MSIT') announced its participation in the 6th meeting
of Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) Conference Preparatory Group (APG-23) held
in Brisbane, Australia, from August 14th (Mon.) to August 19th
(Sat.), to prepare for the World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23),
scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in November this year,
with the participation of 193 countries.
※ WRC (World Radiocommunication Conference): Organized by the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), WRC is a conference held every
four years to make decisions on important matters related to global frequency
allocation and radiocommunication. Also referred to as the "Olympics of
the Airwaves," the conference gathers participation from around 193
countries in the world, including government officials and experts, totaling
around 3,400 attendees. This year, the conference will be hosted in Dubai, UAE,
for a four-week period in November.
* APG (APT Conference Preparatory Group for WRC): A regional cooperative
body of 38 Asia-Pacific nations to establish a common position on the agenda
items of upcoming WRC.
The 6th meeting of APG-23 served as a final checkpoint for
establishing a common ground among the 38 member countries of Asia-Pacific in
preparation for WRC-23. Approximately 460 individuals, consisted of delegations
from member countries and relevant parties, attended the meeting. South Korea,
as the chair country of this meeting, assembled a delegation* of 42 experts
from both the public and private sectors. The Korean delegation played a
leading role in various discussions on communication frequencies, including
those related to mobile communication, science, satellite, aviation, maritime,
and other domains.
* A total of 26
organizations participated in the delegation, including MSIT, Ministry of
Defense, National Radio Research Agency, KT Corporation, and more.
During the meeting, Korea has
actively engaged in international cooperation efforts to explore new frequency
resources, focusing on frequency bands that were not previously studied for
mobile communication purposes in WRC sessions. The goal is to enable robust
research for mobile communication frequencies to prepare for WRC in 2027 and
beyond, which is vital to laying a foundation for the 6G era. In such
cooperative efforts, not only did Korea articulated the common position with
other Asia-Pacific nations, but also participated in bilateral discussions with
more than 10 countries, including the United States, India, China, and Japan.
MSIT made sure that the advocacy of conditions that are favorable to our
industrial ecosystem be reflected in the common position of Asia-Pacific
countries through these dialogues.
As a result, the necessity for research on 6G mobile communication
frequencies was formally acknowledged in the APT View, a formulated outcome of
the 6th meeting of APG-23. This encompasses frequency ranges from
4.4GHz to 15.35GHz as potential candidates for 6G mobile communication.
Consequently, Korea intends to promote continuous collaboration with countries
that share a strong interest in the exploration of 6G frequencies, so that the
APT View could be considered in the upcoming WRC session in November as a
potential agenda item for future WRC sessions.
In the field of satellite communication, an agreement was reached
regarding the operational guidelines for ESIM*. This agreement features the non-interference
condition for ground and satellite operations and the removal procedures when
an interference is detected. Notably, the Preliminary APT Common Proposal
adopted through this meeting is based on the content of the national contribution
submitted by Korea. From this achievement, it is anticipated that the country's
mobile communication service and public service satellite networks will be
stably operated without interference from other services. MSIT plans to
continue such efforts to ensure that the agreement is confirmed in finalization
during the WRC session in November.
* ESIM (Earth
Station in Motion): ESIM refers to ground stations that provide high-speed
broadband communication services using satellites. Unlike traditional fixed
ground stations, ESIMs are mobile satellite terminals that operate in motion.
Furthermore, MSIT has taken steps to continue with dispatch missions of
domestic 6G experts to the international stage by signing a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between ITU and experts in private sector. Through this
MoU, the deployment of domestic experts is expected to play its role as a
steppingstone for Korea to secure its leadership in discussions on 6G frequency
exploration, which are highly likely to take place in WRC 2027.
Choi Woo Hyeok, the Director-General of the Radio Policy Bureau at MSIT,
explained that, "During the 6th meeting of APG-23, South Korea
has invested diverse efforts to lead global frequency cooperation, by proactively
proposing the necessity for 6G and other mobile communication frequency
exploration in the Asia-Pacific region." He further emphasized,
"Building upon vibrant communication with domestic industries and
academia, we will continue to strengthen international cooperation to ensure
that Korea's position can be reflected to the fullest in the upcoming World
Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23) in November."
For further information, please contact the Public
Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr)
of the Ministry of Science and ICT.
Please refer to the attached PDF.