Communication technology is released from generation to generation. 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G have all been realized, and then it's time for 6G.

The history of communication technology development is actually the history of the rise of China's communication technology. During the era of 1G and 2G, China was completely following others and using their technologies. It was not until 3G that China launched its domestically-developed TD-SCDMA and stood on the international stage.

Later, in the era of 4G and 5G, China became a global leader in communication technology. Especially in 5G, China has taken the lead globally with the most patents worldwide.

As shown in the figure above, among the top 10 5G patent holders globally, five are from China, accounting for more than 35% in total. In other words, more than one-third of 5G patents are owned by Chinese enterprises.

According to plans, 6G technology will be widely adopted by 2030, so the formulation of 6G standards has also been put on the agenda.

In May last year, Younsun Kim and Andrew Bennett from Samsung Research were elected as chairs of the 3GPP Radio Access Network Working Group (RAN WG1) and the Service and System Aspects Working Group (SA WG2), respectively.

Recently, at the International Telecommunication Union conference, HyoungJin Choi, a researcher from Samsung Research, was appointed as the chair of the IMT-2030 (6G) Coordination Group.

It can be seen that several important positions related to the formulation of 6G standards have been filled by South Koreans this time, which is undoubtedly positive for enhancing Samsung and South Korea's dominance in the formulation of 6G standards.

Moreover, in fact, South Korean companies also have an advantage in some 6G patents.

We know that 6G will be faster than 5G, with lower latency and wider bandwidth. It aims to achieve a peak data rate of up to 1Tbps, ultra-low latency of 0.1ms, high-speed mobile communication, and ultra-high spectrum utilization.

To achieve these goals, millimeter waves above 300MHz or even terahertz (Thz) bands need to be used.

In terms of terahertz (Thz) patents, South Korea is relatively advanced.

According to MaxVal statistics as of 2023, data on 6G patent applications related to terahertz shows that LG from South Korea ranks first with 1,221 applications, followed by Huawei with 1,138, and Samsung ranks third with 734 applications.

Of course, terahertz frequency is just one of the possibilities, not the only one. Other high-frequency millimeter waves may also be used. Additionally, not all patents are concentrated on terahertz.

However, it is undeniable that South Korea has a certain advantage in 6G standards and may become one of China's biggest competitors in the future. Therefore, Huawei and ZTE need to work harder.