Korean researchers are expanding their influence in the global technology rule-setting competition by achieving international standardization milestones in key future digital industry fields including artificial intelligence (AI), next-generation mobile communications (6G), and immersive media.
The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on the 8th that it generated a total of 92 international standardization achievements in 2025, comprising 42 new or revised international standards and 50 international standard contributions reflecting patented technologies. The institute said it strengthened its global standards competitiveness through the expansion of international standard-essential patents and the securing of leadership positions in international standardization bodies.
Through these efforts, ETRI has secured balanced international standards competitiveness in core ICT fields including AI, next-generation mobile communications, and immersive media.
These achievements have also translated into royalty revenue. ETRI recorded standard-essential patent royalty income of 36.7 billion won in 2023, 44.4 billion won in 2024, and 50.2 billion won last year, totaling 131.3 billion won ($96 million) over three years. The primary revenue-generating technology fields were next-generation communications and immersive media.
In the AI field, ETRI focused not only on the performance of the technology itself but also on securing international standards for the safe and trustworthy use of AI. Rather than limiting its efforts to AI algorithms or individual application technologies, the institute secured multiple international standards related to AI testing and verification methods and reliability assessment frameworks. This is significant in that it has laid a foundation for supporting the trustworthiness and accountability of AI use at the international standards level, at a time when AI technology is rapidly spreading across industries and society.
In the next-generation communications field, ETRI expanded its international standardization activities centered on core technologies for the 6G era alongside the advancement of 5G-Advanced. The institute submitted numerous patent-reflected international standard contributions focused on technologies that form the foundation of future mobile communications, including network intelligence and automation, radio access technology, and interference management. These achievements are evaluated as technology-accumulative standardization outcomes in preparation for the upcoming 6G era.
In the immersive media field, ETRI built a competitive performance structure through a "standard-essential patent strategy" that simultaneously secures both standards and patents. This strategy is expected to serve as an important foundation for securing technological leadership in next-generation immersive service markets such as extended reality (XR), the metaverse, and spatial computing.
Standard-essential patent achievements are also expanding rapidly. Patents adopted into international standards serve as core assets that set the benchmarks for technology use in global markets, playing an important role in generating royalty income and industrial ripple effects. ETRI newly created 97 patents adopted into international standards in 2025 alone, bringing its cumulative international standard-essential patents to a total of 1,312. Standard-essential patents are being secured intensively in next-generation communications and immersive media, strengthening technology competitiveness based on international standards.
ETRI's leadership gains within international standardization bodies are also notable. The institute secured 22 new chairmanship positions in international standardization bodies in 2025. Chairmanships are key roles that directly influence the direction of standards development and technology adoption decisions. This achievement demonstrates that ETRI is wielding significant influence in the international standards deliberation process.
These results stem from an international standardization response strategy that strategically links standards and patents while considering the characteristics of each technology field. ETRI continues to expand its international standards activities based on technological competitiveness, contributing to shaping the technological order of the future digital industry.
"International standards are no longer merely benchmarks that describe technology, but a domain that designs both how technology is utilized and the order of the market," ETRI President Bang Seung-chan said. "ETRI will proactively respond to changes in the global competitive environment by organically securing standards, patents, and international standardization leadership in core technology fields including next-generation communications, AI, and immersive media."
