Image by StockSnap from Pixabay South Korean telecoms provider KT has announced a partnership with local aerospace and defence firm LIG Nex1 to develop propriety technologies for homegrown low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. LIG Nex1 specialises in the fields of surveillance, electronic warfare, unmanned systems, avionics, and provides solutions for tactical superiority, airspace control, and maritime warfare. The two Korean companies have signed an MoU to jointly develop core technologies for LEO satellites, including a 6G satellite communications system and quantum cryptography. According to KT, the decision to partner with LIG Nex1 was made amid growing calls for the development of homegrown LEO satellites to better protect national security. At present, the LEO satellite market is dominated by companies outside Korea, such as OneWeb, SpaceX, Thales, Planet Labs and Amazon's Kuiper project. According to Korean business publication Maeil, KT plans to develop LEO satellites with LIG Nex1 for both civil and military use and to tender for various defence communication satellite projects, including military low-orbit tactical satellite projects. "The importance of mobile communication technology in the military communication system is already being emphasised," said Lee Jong-sik, head of KT's Future Network Research Institute. "Through this cooperation, KT will show the evolution of the military communication system by expanding 6G technology not only to ground networks but also to satellite communication." Read 907 times