Samsung advances 6G development with KT, Keysight

Samsung Electronics, KT Corporation, and Keysight Technologies verified X-MIMO technology in the 7 GHz band for 6G development during outdoor testing at Samsung’s Seoul R&D campus on February 20, 2026.

The testing achieved peak downlink data rates of up to 3 Gbps by using ultra-high-density antenna technology, which increases antenna element density fourfold compared to current 5G systems.

The 7 GHz band is seen as a promising spectrum for future 6G networks, offering a balance between coverage and capacity.

The verification involved transmitting eight data streams to a single user, utilizing Samsung’s 6G prototype base station with 256 digital ports and Keysight’s testbed.

Samsung and KT plan to continue network innovation, focusing on high-capacity, high-frequency operations, while Keysight emphasizes its role in accelerating 6G research toward commercial deployment.

The companies previously validated AI-based radio access network optimization in late 2025.

🔗 Source: Samsung

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

This 7 GHz test supports a potential cost-saving strategy for 6G

Using 7 GHz could let 6G roll out from the same cell sites used for mid-band (3.5 GHz) 5G, which could cut future buildout costs for mobile operators 1.
The band falls in the “upper mid-band” spectrum called Frequency Range 3 (FR3, 7.125–24.25 GHz) in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) discussions. It appeals for 6G because it can pair broad reach with strong capacity 2.
The result fits a roadmap Nokia discussed. Nokia said 3GPP treated a 7 GHz carrier frequency as a practical assumption for 200 MHz channel bandwidths under review for 6G 1.

The 7 GHz breakthrough provides an early data point for a software-driven 6G market

The lab check adds to early work toward a 6G market forecast at $3.88 billion by 2030, with a 72.6% compound annual growth rate 3.
Some projections tie that rise to software advances, including AI-native orchestration or cloud-native cores as differentiators. Separately, Samsung, KT and Keysight said they validated user-level AI-based radio access network (AI-RAN) optimization in December 2025 4.
The performance supports early thinking around ultra-low-latency uses such as remote surgery or industrial robotics. One forecast calls healthcare the fastest-growing 6G vertical market 3.