Samsung just struck a deal that could reshape how 6G networks work. The tech giant partnered with SK Telecom to develop AI-powered radio access networks, marking a major push into next-generation wireless technology that promises to make current networks look sluggish.
Samsung just made its biggest 6G bet yet. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with SK Telecom to develop artificial intelligence-powered radio access networks that could define how the next generation of wireless works.
The partnership puts Samsung's research muscle behind SK Telecom's nationwide network infrastructure to tackle some of 6G's thorniest technical challenges. They're focusing on AI-based channel estimation - technology that predicts and fixes signal problems in real time, especially when radio waves get mangled by buildings and other obstacles.
"Through field-focused collaboration with SKT, we'll be able to verify the effectiveness of AI-based wireless technologies in real-world settings," JinGuk Jeong told Samsung's newsroom. He's Samsung's Executive VP leading their Advanced Communications Research Center.
The technical ambition here is massive. Instead of traditional networks where one base station handles everything, they're building distributed MIMO systems where multiple antennas work together like a coordinated swarm. Add AI schedulers that decide when and how to route data, and you get networks that can handle way more devices without breaking a sweat.
SK Telecom's Takki Yu sees this as existential. "The convergence of AI and wireless communications will be crucial to 6G competitiveness," the VP told reporters. "We plan to secure world-class AI-RAN-based 6G technologies and lead the global 6G ecosystem."
Samsung's been building toward this moment since 2019 when it launched its Advanced Communications Research Center. The company published comprehensive 6G White Papers laying out its vision for AI-native networks. At Mobile World Congress earlier this year, they showed off AI-RAN demos that caught industry attention.
Both companies are also working through the AI-RAN Alliance, where they jointly proposed channel estimation technology that got approved as an official work item. This month they presented research findings to the alliance's member meeting, showing how seriously the industry is taking AI-powered wireless.
