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Published: 08 September 2021

5G/6GIC signs collaboration MoU with South Korea’s leading ICT Institute on ‘Beyond 5G and 6G’

The 5G/6G Innovation Centre (5G/6GIC) at the University of Surrey has entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences (KICS).

The MoU, which was signed on 31 August 2021, will open the way for research and innovation collaborations in 5G and 6G between researchers in Surrey’s 5G/6GIC and the KICS network of academic and industrial partners.

Regius Professor Rahim Tafazolli, Head of Surrey’s Institute for Communication Systems and 5G/6GIC, said: “KICS is a highly influential network which, through its members in South Korea and elsewhere, is an engine for growth in communications technology. The MoU will enable us to leverage leading expertise within 5G/6GIC and the Institute’s academic and industrial partners, forming collaborations which will be an important step towards delivering cutting edge 6G technologies.”

Professor Younghan Kim, President of the KICS, said: “It is highly expected that this MoU will enable us to cooperate for innovation and to produce synergy in advanced wireless communications.”

Professor Een-Kee Hong, Chair of the KICS 6G Research Initiative, commented: "The KICS's top experts for key 6G technologies will conduct in-depth discussions on the direction of technology development, and the KICS is always ready to help and develop research and collaboration with the University of Surrey’s 5G/6GIC."

The MoU facilitates conducting joint research, seminars, exchange of researchers and joint testing/trials of advanced technologies for beyond 5G and 6G. 6G is expected to be commercially available by 2030.

5GIC was the world’s first academic institute dedicated to 5G research and innovation and 6GIC was launched in November 2020 with its unique 6G vision. Surrey’s large scale 5G testbed, which consists of 77 MIMO cells and made-in-the-UK 5G Core by Surrey researchers, will be used for tests and trials of advanced technologies.

The largest ICT Institute in Korea, KICS has over 26,000 members and 30 specialised research groups. It provides open networks for universities, corporations, government-affiliated agencies and research institutes to engage in academic activities, technical cooperation and policy reviews in ICT.

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