Leading the super-speed space internet era

Kang Chung-gu
The author is a professor of electrical engineering at Korea University and the steering committee chair of the Satellite Communication (SatCom) Forum.

One-third of the world’s population still has no internet access. In a country as large as the United States, it is impossible to provide high-speed internet service everywhere. Internet speeds on airplanes and ships are too slow while costs are high.

In the “6G era,” which is expected to be commercially available in the 2030s, there will be a convergence of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. The goal is to have ultrahigh-speed internet access in all spaces, anywhere in the world. Unlike terrestrial networks, whose existence is threatened by wars and natural disasters, satellite networks will be the final line of communication in any situation.

The era of super-speed space internet is already here, with the launches of countless low orbit satellites providing LTE-grade access from anywhere on Earth. This is a collaboration of money, technology and the market; it is also part of Elon Musk’s grand challenge to bring humans to Mars.

Musk’s SpaceX has reduced the cost of building satellite networks by one-tenth thanks to the reusable launch vehicle technology. Through its Starlink network of more than 5,000 satellites, the company secured 2 million subscribers from 45 countries. Starlink has already proven its power and strategic position during the war in Ukraine.

OneWeb, part-owned by the British government, will launch a full-scale global service this year. Both Starlink and OneWeb are pushing to enter the Korean market. Amazon, an online retail market giant, also launched two test satellites recently with the goal of commercialization in 2025. In the next few years, most countries, including Korea, will become the arena of competition for global low-orbit satellite network operators such as Starlink and OneWeb.

Considering the strategic position and industrial importance of low-orbit satellite communication networks, we must quickly prepare for the 6G era. In the era, the information and communication technology (ICT) ecosystem will emerge as a new pillar of industry, as it will enable the control of autonomous vehicles in various spaces along with a new mobility environment.

Noticing the technological ramifications, the Korean government and industrial community have been discussing countermeasures and plans to secure the needed technology through research and development (R&D) to create a new ecosystem. However, related plans have repeatedly failed to pass a preliminary feasibility study, and they are making yet another attempt this year. Most frustrating is the priority on the efficacy of large-scale investment.

In other words, there is a lot of skepticism about the need for a low-orbit satellite network in Korea, as the country has already established one of the most excellent terrestrial networks in the world. But it is important to understand that thousands of low-orbit satellites will soon create one giant communication network covering the entire world. This is both an opportunity and a challenge for Korea to expand its market to the rest of the world.

What is Korea’s authentic strategy for the low-orbit satellite communication industry? We should create a web of content to deliver Korea’s spirit and culture, along with a neural network for our defense systems which are increasingly exported to the world. That calls for a national strategy to combine the industrial ecosystem of a mobile communication powerhouse and the competitiveness of Korea’s irreplaceable cultural content.

The first step will be establishing a pilot network of low-orbit satellite communication through the development of core technologies to verify its utilization, and creating an independent civilian-military satellite network. Furthermore, it can be expanded to a multinational joint network led by Korea so as to inspire the formation of an international cooperation organization for this purpose. During the process, we must preemptively secure a technological edge to take the leadership position and lead the supply chain. Above all, we must create the necessary basis for R&D.

Let’s take a look back at how Korea became a digital powerhouse. The government-led development of the first Digital Electronic Switching System paved the way for the world’s first commercialization of code division multiple access (CDMA) mobile communication system. The construction of super-speed information and communication networks was also made possible by the government’s strong policy support. Thanks to this, we live in a world we had never experienced before.

Changes in the future are coming even faster. Expectations are high that Koreans will build a network that can be accessed anywhere in the world. I hope we can dream our future based on this network. With the opening of the era of hyper-speed space internet, we must take a road never traveled before.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.