Huawei completes its extensive 5G wireless field trial, reaching breakneck speeds up to 3.6 Gbps. The fifth-generation telecommunication system will soon replace 4G LTE as the fastest mobile broadband.
Huawei conducted the test with the Japanese telecom company NTT DOCOMO in Chengdu, China. As Japan's largest mobile service provider, NTT DOCOMO was adamant to make the trial a complete success.
Using a 6 GHz band, the pair used 24 devices and was able to reach up to 3.6 Gbps with an average speed of 1.34 Gbps. Now this is notable because the test was carried out in a real-life setting. In comparison, Samsung and Nokia also conducted similar trials, but the bands they used would need an entirely new infrastructure to be feasible. Also, Huawei's earlier tests showed that up to 10 Gbps was possible; however, those tests weren't done in realistic conditions, but it demonstrated the potential of the 5G wireless technology.
"This joint field trial represents a significant advance toward fulfilling Huawei's commitment to developing 5G technology standards before 2018. Results like these show we are making rapid progress and are on the right path. I am confident that what we have learned here will be reflected in even more innovative technological advances as we continue working on 5G research," CTO of Huawei Wireless Networks Dr. Wen Tong said.
U.S. major carriers and telecom companies aren't out of the loop, though, as a lot of them are also preparing to launch similar tests. Comcast plans to test DOCSIS 3.1 technology that will use existing lines, which the firm added will provide faster speeds than the current fiber networks when it rolls out in 2018. Verizon also successfully administered an NG-PON2 trial recently, and the telecom firm suggests that the technology will run from 40 Gbps to 80 Gbps without the need to replace the lines being used now.
The global race to develop the 5G standards is going strong, and Huawei doesn't intend to fall behind. It seems that 5G wireless technology will be the backbone of the mobile broadband industry in the near future.
Photo: Norlando Pobre | Flickr
