South Korean operators use quantum computers to optimize 6G satellite communications

On June 14, South Korean mobile operator LG U+ announced a partnership with a national research university to use quantum computers to optimize the structure of a low-Earth orbit satellite network for 6G communications.

Lee Sang-heon, head of LG U+'s advanced network technology research department, said in a statement, "We will provide the best communication quality for satellite communications through quantum computers, which is a key technology in the future. We will be ahead of the upcoming 6G era. Leading research into advanced technologies and delivering exceptional customer experiences."

LG U+ said researchers have used a quantum annealing computer commercialized by Canadian quantum computing company D-Wave to quickly calculate the number and distances of surrounding satellites that can communicate from one satellite.

Low-Earth-orbit satellites change their positions in real time, requiring the optimal network configuration to be found in a short period of time; if the satellites get close to a distance where they can communicate, the network must be reconfigured from time to time. Since the number of data transmission paths increases proportionally to the number of nodes, the network needs to be optimized to find the fastest path.

In a six-month joint study starting in December 2021, researchers from LG U+ and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have found that even in a satellite communications environment, a network optimization algorithm that is indistinguishable from terrestrial communications is possible. Serve.

The researchers believe that satellite communications will become important for the realization of "hyperspace". LG U+ predicts that hyperspace could be achieved if optimized satellite communications are commercialized, connecting communications to objects traveling at a top speed of 1,000 kilometers per hour.

As a leader in the spread of 5G mobile services, South Korea aims to commercialize the world's first 6G mobile communications by 2028.

Reference link:

https://www.ajdaily.com/view/20220614103259311