While 5G is not yet a standard in wireless telecommunications, Samsung is already seeking to get ahead in the race towards the technology that will follow 4G.
In a recent live demo held at Everland Speedway in Korea, Samsung showed off their newest advances in the field. Using a base station, and a mobile station fitted to a van driving around the track at 62 MPH, Samsung demonstrated a stable 1.2 Gbps connection. Of course, while it is closer to real world conditions, it is impossible to showcase the technology’s maximum speed in a moving vehicle. For this, Samsung provided a stationary display. In a record-breaking demonstration, Samsung reached an astonishing 7.5 Gbps. For comparison, the Wi-Fi 802.11ac standard offers up to 1 Gbps. Current LTE technology supports up to 300 Mbps. It is still very early in the game, but these are already incredible numbers to see. Samsung utilizes the 28 GHz band for their 5G technology, which offers higher speeds, but in theory suffers from poor penetration of buildings and other solid objects. It will be interesting in the future to see how manufacturers and carriers will combat these issues.
5G promises to bring vast improvements to mobile networking, not only in speed, but in efficiency as well. With the “Internet of Things” quickly becoming a reality, wireless devices are becoming more prevalent in today’s increasingly connected world. A 5G network will need to be able to handle a growing number of connected devices. Everything from the appliances in your home, to your car, and of course devices like phones and tablets will need to be able to communicate on the limited frequencies available. Energy efficiency will also be a focus with the new technology. More and more data is being transferred and consumed by smartphones and tablets, which require more usage of the radio. Wireless devices are used every day, and with more efficient radios combined with today’s advanced batteries we will be able to stay connected longer than ever before.
With 5G not expected to arrive until 2020, it’s exciting to see Samsung already breaking records with new technologies.