Breakthrough research by the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute(ETRI) is at the forefront of the next mobile communication development. In a stunning showcase at the "6G Symposium Spring 2024" in Oulu, Finland, from April 9 to 11, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) captured global attention with its state-of-the-art advancements.
At the heart of their presentation was the revolutionary “service mesh” technology—a pivotal innovation for addressing the intricate communication challenges within dynamically evolving cloud-native mobile networks.
As we transition from the traditional hardware-centric frameworks of 4G and 5G, 6G networks promise a new era—one where mobile network functions are virtualized into software services within the cloud. This evolution demands seamless and error-free communication between diverse microservices housed within various managed cloud environments.
ETRI’s service mesh technology is a game-changer. Conventional setups faced lagging communication due to inefficient methods. ETRI’s advanced architecture has slashed such delays by over 80%, cutting down packet processing times from 24 to just 4 round trips. By decoupling business logic from communication logic and harnessing high-speed communication methods like gRPC, ETRI has significantly enhanced signal processing in mobile core networks.
This breakthrough simplifies life for developers, enabling them to concentrate solely on core mobile service functions without worrying about the intricacies of network communications such as registration, discovery, connection, and authentication.
Namseok Ko, the visionary director of ETRI’s Mobile Core Network Research Section, proclaimed, “Our service mesh technology is set to become the backbone of cloud-native 6G networks, promising faster, more efficient communications and cementing our leadership in global technology advancements.”
This symposium, under the aegis of the EU 6G Flagship project, not only highlighted ETRI’s innovation but also reinforced South Korea’s prominence on the global tech stage.
Moreover, ETRI revealed plans to further elevate and commercialize this technology through initiatives funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT. This research is part of the Ministry’s fostering of next-generation communication technologies.
