Nokia aims to ready 6G equipment by 2027

Finnish telecommunications giant Nokia aims to develop 6G network equipment by 2027 and commercialize the next-generation wireless communication technology in 2029. The Korean government set a digital roadmap dubbed "K-Network" to commercialize...

Ahn Tae-ho, Nokia Korea’s head of market unit, speaks at a local press event to introduce Nokia's plans at Josun Palace Hotel in southern Seoul on Thursday. [NOKIA KOREA]

Finnish telecommunications giant Nokia aims to develop 6G network equipment by 2027 and commercialize the next-generation wireless communication technology in 2029.

The Korean government set a digital roadmap dubbed "K-Network" to commercialize 6G by 2030 and become the first country in the world to do so by that timeline.

6G will use a higher frequency range than the current 5G network, providing higher data capacity and reduced latency.

“The industry direction to commercialize 6G will expand the data capacity by tenfold compared to 5G, but reduce electricity consumption by half,” Brian Cho, head of RAN product management at Nokia Korea, said at Thursday's press event to introduce Nokia’s latest products help in Gangnam District, southern Seoul.

“Nokia’s aim is to secure leadership in the wireless market, and we will continue to juggle research into 5G advancement and 6G,” he added.

Chief Technology Officer James Han said that 5G's performance is not sufficient to power advanced technologies such as the metaverse, extended reality and virtual reality. He anticipates that by 2030, networks will be newly divided into three categories: extreme performance-specialized networks, network of networks and network-as-a-service (Naas).

Extreme performance-specialized networks manage automated systems at factories to significantly boost efficiency in their production lines, which can be frequently adjusted depending on what kind of products they make. A network of networks bridges different kinds of networks so that they can interchangeably trade data. while Naas allows users to customize their network environment.

“Nokia’s mission in Korea is to offer critical solutions which can play a role in revolutionizing Korea’s technology,” according to Ahn Tae-ho, Nokia Korea’s head of market unit.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]