Samsung Electronics claims to have developed the world’s first 5G wireless network for transferring mobile data at super-high speeds using ultrahigh frequencies. If 5G becomes the new standard for mobile data, it will be hundreds of times faster than the current LTE standard; users being able to download HD movies in less than 1 second.
The company revealed that they had tested transferring data at speeds exceeding 1Gbps at a frequency of 28GHz, over a 2km distance. Such speeds would surpass current and pending standards and open the door for streaming 3D movies, games and UHD (ultra-high definition) content on smart devices.
The breakthrough is a world first to use frequencies over 6GHz for gigabyte-per-second speeds. Taking into account the problem of the lack of frequencies available for mobile use, 5G uses a vastly higher frequency than used by current mobile devices to achieve higher speeds. Nevertheless, propagation loss and a shortened delivery distance is a problem when using ultrahigh frequencies. Samsung Electronics says they have solved the problem through adaptive array technology that makes use of 64 antennas.
The company has set a goal of continuing research on the new technology and eventually putting the 5G standard into commercial use by 2020. It is expected that this latest development will ramp up research for 5G speeds and creating an international standard worldwide.
While speeds in the tens of gigabytes per second are definitely groundbreaking, other technology will have to keep up for users to make full use of it. 1 gigabit routers are now the standard, though many are still using 100Mbps LAN connections at home and in the office. Connections to domestic sites and services will no doubt make top speeds, but international sites including YouTube still lack speed in the world’s most wired nation.
Competition to create the next-generation technology has been heating up and in February, the Chinese government formed ‘IMT-2020(5G) Promotion Group’ for the research of 5G. The EU has also decided to invest 50 million euros with the same goal of putting out a 5G standard by 2020.
Samsung Electronics’ director of research at the DMC Chang-yong Kim commented on the news, saying, “Having succeeded in developing adaptive array technology, we’ve come one step closer to the possibility of creating a 5G mobile standard that uses ultrahigh frequencies.”
This article was translated and adapted from the original article by Geon-ho Kwon at ET News, a media partner of VentureSquare.
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