Samsung Electronics yesterday took a step into the future of connectivity, announcing it had successfully tested high-speed 5G technology.
Samsung says in a statement that 5G is the next generation of the existing 4G long-term evolution (LTE) network technology, and will provide data transmission speeds up to several hundred times faster than current 4G networks.
Samsung's new adaptive array transceiver technology transmits data in the millimetre-wave band, at a frequency of 28GHz, at a speed of up to 1.056Gbps, to a distance of up to 2km.
"The adaptive array transceiver technology, using 64 antenna elements, can be a viable solution for overcoming the radio propagation loss at millimetre-wave bands, much higher than the conventional frequency bands ranging from several hundred MHz to several GHz," Samsung says.
The Korean manufacturer plans to accelerate the research and development of 5G mobile communications technologies, including adaptive array transceivers at the millimetre-wave bands, to commercialise the technologies by 2020.
"The millimetre wave band is the most effective solution to recent surges in wireless Internet usage. Samsung's recent success in developing the adaptive array transceiver technology has brought us one step closer to the commercialisation of 5G mobile communications in the millimetre wave bands," says executive vice-president of Samsung Electronics, Chang Yeong Kim.
Speedy upgrade
The successful testing of 5G comes less than a year after LTE, more commonly known as 4G, was made available in SA. LTE operates at more than double the speed of any mobile connection currently commercially available in SA, and provides significant multiples faster than the 2G and 3G connections common across the country.
The country's biggest mobile operator, Vodacom, was the first to offer its limited LTE in October and has since grown its LTE-enabled base stations from the initial 70, to the almost 600 that are now live.
Second in line, MTN launched LTE commercially at the end of November. The operator currently has LTE coverage in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban. In March, the operator opened up its network to iPhone 5 users.
8ta launched its trial in November, in Gauteng, and Cell C launched its trial across SA in December, in the main cities of Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town.
Apple has also added Cell C to its list of supported LTE carriers for iPhone 5.
Realistically speaking
Richard Boorman, executive head of corporate communications at Vodacom, says the operator is already looking beyond LTE and has been investing heavily in readying its network, with a particular focus on the transmission infrastructure connecting its base stations.
"While this has removed one of the potential bottlenecks to future speed increases, it's highlighted the spectrum challenge facing the industry. Faster speeds and wider coverage are achievable today if additional spectrum is freed up to connect mobile devices with base stations, and as mobile devices continue to speed up, this will become even more pressing."
While 5G is still a long way from being made available to the general public, Africa Analysis telecoms analyst Dobek Pater believes the adoption of 5G will depend on the need thereof. "In the past, operators have been prepared to take a big risk on ROI in building out 3G networks and now LTE networks. They may not have an appetite for that with 5G, depending when it becomes available as a standardised and approved technology."
He adds that local mobile operators have been some of the first in the world to deploy new access technologies like 3G and LTE, and local operators may decide to deploy the new technology. "But it would probably be more for marketing than true commercial reasons. However, I think, with the 5G technology, operators will think long and hard about its business case before deployment, unlike with earlier technologies."
Mike Sharman, owner of digital communications agency Retroviral, believes SA should have 5G a few months after it rolls out. "It's important to remember that tech supply is based on demand and cost implications. The networks will conduct the adequate research to determine the feasibility of 5G in SA's market."
Sharman adds this again highlights the important relationship between operators and manufacturers. "Network speeds are closely linked to handset hardware and software capabilities, so there is heavy reliance on open lines of communication between manufacturers and networks. There is also a cost implication for manufacturers' R&D. Android will continue to grow in terms of market share."
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