Samsung Executives Secure 3GPP Leadership as 6G Research Begins

Samsung has been putting efforts into the standardization of 6G technology through its leadership within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The Korean firm recently secured new chair and vice-chair positions in the world’s largest telecommunications standards organization. The new appointments come just as 3GPP prepares to initiate research into cutting-edge 6G technologies.

Founded in 1998, 3GPP develops global mobile communication standards. Big companies like Samsung, Qualcomm, Apple, Ericsson, Nokia, and Huawei participate in its work. There are three Technical Specification Groups (TSGs): Service and System Aspects (SA), Radio Access Network (RAN), and Core Network and Terminals (CT). Each group manages four to six Working Groups (WGs), totaling 15 WGs across the organization.

Samsung executives lead the key 3GPP working group

Now, speaking about the newly appointed Samsung executives, Rajavelsamy Rajadurai and Lixiang Xu have secured leadership positions in 3GPP. Rajavelsamy Rajadurai, Principal Architect at Samsung R&D Institute India-Bangalore (SRI–B), is now chair of 3GPP’s Service and System Aspects Working Group 3 (SA WG3). Lixiang Xu, meanwhile, joined as vice chair of 3GPP’s Radio Access Network Working Group 3 (RAN WG3). She is the Principal Engineer at Samsung R&D Institute China-Beijing (SRC-B).

It is worth mentioning that they are not the first Samsung executives to secure leadership positions in 3GPP. Back in March, Dr. Younsun Kim, Master at Samsung Research, became chair of 3GPP’s Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network (TSG RAN). Kim is in charge of the standardization of wireless technology, including the physical layer, protocol aspects, and radio resource control. In total, Samsung now has three chair positions in SA WG2, SA WG3, and TSG RAN.

Meanwhile, with the appointment of Lixiang Xu, Samsung holds five vice-chair positions (SA WG4, SA WG6, RAN WG2, RAN WG3, and CT WG3) within 3GPP. These new leadership positions show Samsung’s influence in the development of future wireless technologies. Starting in H2 2025, 3GPP will begin with 6G technology research. SA WG3 will study cybersecurity to counter cyberattacks, while RAN WG3 will research AI solutions to lower energy consumption at base stations and enhance service quality.