Samsung: We'll get you 5G wireless by 2020
The electronics maker says it has developed the "world's first" adaptive array transceiver, boding well for connections speeds far superior to those of today's 4G networks.
Samsung says it has developed new core technology that provides data transmission several hundred times faster than current 4G networks.
In an announcement Monday, Samsung said that plans to accelerate the research and development of 5G mobile communications technologies suitable for consumers across millimeter-wave bands are going ahead, with a view to commercialize the technology by 2020.
The Korean company says that it has developed the "world's first" adaptive array transceiver -- which is able to operate in millimeter-wave bands -- and has overcome issues caused by transmitting data over long distances. The core system is able to transmit data in this band at a frequency of 28GHz at a speed of up to 1.056Gbps to a distance of up to two kilometers.
This is far higher than current 4G networks -- still being propagated across the world -- which are able to reach several hundred MHz to several GHz. Subscribers to future 5G networks, hosted on the higher-frequency band than conventional ones currently in operation, will apparently be able to enjoy speeds several hundred times higher and "practically without limitation."A number of mobile carriers still offer 3G networks.
According to Samsung, subscribers would be able to send and receive ultra high-definition (UHD) content and games without limitations or streaming issues.
Samsung executive vice president and head of digital medial and communication R&D ChangYeong Kim commented:
"The millimeter-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 commercialization of 5G mobile communications in the millimeter-wave bands."
Exploration into 5G networks is moving at a fast pace. China has created a promotional group centered on 5G research and development, while the European Commission will invest 50 million euros this year in an attempt to bring 5G technology to consumers by 2020.
Samsung says that the nature of next-generation mobile communications research and development is becoming "increasingly fierce," and the firm's creation of core technology to consumerize 5G will result in "the creation of international alliances and the timely commercialization of related mobile broadband services."