Korea Unveils Low-Power AI Network Technology at MWC

1 c News 1 Photo Joint Press Corps / Photo = News 1 \r\n [Financial News] At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026, the world's largest mobile technology and industry exhibition held in Barcelona, ​​Spain from the 2nd to the 5th, domestic companies, organizations, and research institutes unveiled a number of research and development results and innovative services such as 6G mobile communications, artificial intelligence (AI), and satellite communications. Low-power software that reduces base station power consumption by more than 20% and antenna control technology based on Large Language Models (LLM) have made their debut on the global stage, throwing their hat into the ring for leadership in next-generation networks. The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 2nd that it had unveiled the results of next-generation network technology developed through a MSIT-supported project at MWC 2026.
The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) presented low-power base station software technology that can reduce base station equipment power consumption, which accounts for 70% of the total mobile communication network power consumption, by more than 20%. This technology, which minimizes power waste by predicting real-time traffic and precisely controlling resources using AI algorithms, applied the latest 5G-Advanced (5G-A) standard, which is an intermediate step between 5G and 6G. It is designed based on software so that it can operate flexibly in various server environments without being dependent on specific manufacturers' equipment (hardware), thereby increasing its potential for industrial use.
ETRI's research achievements have been recognized for their excellence, including acquisition of 34 domestic and international patents and reflection in 5 international standards, and can be commercialized immediately upon completion. This technology has been transferred to two domestic SMEs, helping domestic companies secure technological competitiveness and is expected to save approximately 100 billion won in annual telecommunications network operating power costs, which amount to 1 trillion won. Professor Kim Seong-ryun's lab at Yonsei University, in collaboration with Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Viavi of the United States, developed technology that enables AI to independently assess real-time situations and efficiently control antennas.
High-quality AI services, such as physical AI, which are expected to rapidly expand in the near future, require antenna technology that can transmit signals reliably even in unexpected situations such as high-speed movement and obstacles. The research team applied the Large Language Model (LLM) technology used in ChatGPT to base station and antenna management. The LLM-based management system uses AI to identify and predict network conditions in real time, and actively turns antenna signals on and off or determines their direction (beamforming).
Experiments in environments with irregular signal transmission and reception cycles or network abnormalities have shown that the LLM-based model achieves superior efficiency and stability compared to existing reinforcement learning-based AI models. Yonsei University's research results were exhibited at the booth of the 'AI-RAN Alliance' led by global AI leaders such as Nvidia and SoftBank.
Choi Woo-hyuk, Director of the Information Protection Network Policy Office at the Ministry of Science and ICT, who visited the site that day, said, "It is encouraging that we have secured the basic technology that can lead the industry through close cooperation between the government, industry, academia, and research institutes amidst the increasingly fierce competition for leadership in 6G and AI networks. " He added, "The Ministry of Science and ICT will continue to provide active support, from technology development to securing references and market entry, to take the lead in the 6G and AI network industry.
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1 c News 1 Photo Joint Press Corps / Photo = News 1 \r\n [Financial News] At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026, the world's largest mobile technology and industry exhibition held in Barcelona, ​​Spain from the 2nd to the 5th, domestic companies, organizations, and research institutes unveiled a number of research and development results and innovative services such as 6G mobile communications, artificial intelligence (AI), and satellite communications. Low-power software that reduces base station power consumption by more than 20% and antenna control technology based on Large Language Models (LLM) have made their debut on the global stage, throwing their hat into the ring for leadership in next-generation networks. The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 2nd that it had unveiled the results of next-generation network technology developed through a MSIT-supported project at MWC 2026.
1 c News 1 Photo Joint Press Corps / Photo = News 1 \r\n [Financial News] At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2026, the world's largest mobile technology and industry exhibition held in Barcelona, ​​Spain from the 2nd to the 5th, domestic companies, organizations, and research institutes unveiled a number of research and development results and innovative services such as 6G mobile communications, artificial intelligence (AI), and satellite communications. Low-power software that reduces base station power consumption by more than 20% and antenna control technology based on Large Language Models (LLM) have made their debut on the global stage, throwing their hat into the ring for leadership in next-generation networks. The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 2nd that it had unveiled the results of next-generation network technology developed through a MSIT-supported project at MWC 2026.
yjjoe@fnnews.com Jo Yoon-joo Reporter