IT IT Samsung and SK Telecom team up to lead the 6G era with AI-RAN technology. -

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom (SKT) to develop key 6G technologies, with an emphasis on artificial intelligence-based radio access network (AI-RAN) technology.

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Key technologies for the 6G era, including AI-based channel estimates, distributed multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission, AI-RAN-based schedulers, and core network designs, will be developed and tested by the firms.

The partnership will be headed by Samsung Research and SKT’s Network Technology Office.

In situations where radio waves are affected by obstructions like walls or buildings, AI-based channel estimation anticipates and corrects signal transmission in real time, improving network performance by enabling quicker, more accurate data delivery.

Distributed MIMO technology enables several base stations or antennas to cooperate in order to send and receive data, in contrast to conventional designs where a single base station manages data processing. This method facilitates dependable, extremely fast communication in both rural and urban settings.

In order to ensure effective resource allocation even when several user devices are connected, AI-RAN schedulers and AI-based core networks decide when, where, and how to transfer data. In a future hyperconnected society, these technologies are essential for enhancing network quality and promoting automation.

Samsung Research will create AI-RAN technologies through this collaboration, including distributed MIMO, schedulers, and AI-based channel prediction models. Based on its countrywide network operations, SKT will oversee data provision and test infrastructure setup.

As members of the AI-RAN Alliance, the businesses are also working together. Together, they developed an AI-based channel estimation solution that was formally accepted as a work item. They continued their collaborative efforts this month by presenting their study findings at the alliance’s all-member conference.

“Through field-focused collaboration with SKT, we will be able to verify the effectiveness of AI-based wireless technologies in real-world settings and secure key AI-RAN technologies at an early stage,” said JinGuk Jeong, Executive Vice President and Head of Advanced Communications Research Center (ACRC), Samsung Research at Samsung Electronics. “We hope that continued collaboration between our companies will help pave the way for the rollout of 6G.”

“The convergence of AI and wireless communications will be crucial to 6G competitiveness,” said Takki Yu, Vice President of SK Telecom Network Technology Office. “Through our collaboration with Samsung Electronics, we plan to secure world-class AI-RAN-based 6G technologies and lead the global 6G ecosystem.”

Samsung has conducted extensive 6G research since founding the ACRC in 2019 and released the 6G White Paper and 6G Spectrum White Paper, which outline its goals and strategies for next-generation communications. In partnership with the AI-RAN Alliance, the business presented a variety of demos at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 in Barcelona. In an effort to promote AI-RAN research and foster industry cooperation, Samsung once more organized the Silicon Valley Future Wireless Summit in November of last year.