Following an initial statement of intent earlier this year, Samsung and Arqiva have launched the first European trial of 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) in central London. The trial marks a significant step in testing high-frequency mmWave 5G as a practical alternative to fibre for delivering ultra-fast broadband in urban environments.
The partners selected the UK because of its relatively low broadband penetration and favourable spectrum conditions. With fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) rollout still limited in many areas, 5G FWA presents a faster, less disruptive way to bring gigabit-class connectivity to homes and businesses. The London trial aims to demonstrate how 5G FWA can deliver comparable performance to fibre in real-world conditions.
How the 5G FWA system works
The trial system consists of three core components:
- Radio Access Unit – Installed on the rooftop of Arqiva’s Fitzrovia office, this unit transmits and receives high-frequency signals to provide wireless access over short urban distances.
- Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) – Wirelessly connected to the Radio Access Unit, the CPE uses Samsung’s intelligent beamforming technology combined with Arqiva’s 28 GHz mmWave spectrum to deliver high-bandwidth connectivity directly to end users.
- Virtualised Core – Supplied by Samsung, the virtualised core manages user sessions and routes data between Arqiva’s network and the public internet, supporting low-latency traffic and high throughput.
Performance highlights and potential
In initial tests, Arqiva and Samsung achieved over 1 Gbps speeds at a distance of 230 meters from an antenna on Newman Street to Arqiva’s Fitzrovia offices. That kind of bandwidth can support simultaneous streaming of more than 25 UHD 4K TV channels, demonstrating the capacity potential of 28 GHz mmWave bands for dense urban use.
Arqiva’s CEO, Simon Beresford-Wylie, has previously criticised the UK’s broadband and mobile speeds compared with other countries and highlighted that FTTP coverage sits at only around three percent in the UK. Having worked in South Korea—which consistently ranks highly for broadband speeds—Beresford-Wylie sees 5G FWA as a practical complement or interim alternative to fibre, especially where FTTP rollout is slow or costly.
“This trial is the first of its kind in Europe, let alone the UK – and we are hugely excited about the high data rates, low latency, and growth potential we’re going to be able to demonstrate,” Beresford-Wylie said. “Though only a proof-of-concept at this stage, we are confident that this trial with Samsung will showcase not only 5G FWA’s potential for delivering ultra-fast broadband but also the value of the 28 GHz band in helping achieve this.”
He also noted that UK government policy and planning reforms are beginning to recognise the need for improved connectivity. Recent regulatory changes, including streamlined planning rules for small cells, are making deployments faster and more straightforward—factors that may accelerate 5G FWA adoption.
Industry perspective
Paul Kyungwhoon Cheun, Executive Vice President and Head of the Next Generation Communications Business Team at Samsung, described the trial as a chance to showcase new service opportunities beyond traditional mobile use. “Our trial efforts with Arqiva give us the chance to demonstrate this first hand, and we view this demonstration as a door-opener for new and compelling connected service opportunities in the UK, Europe and worldwide,” he commented.
The trial is scheduled to run for four months and will invite visits from UK government officials, mobile network operators (MNOs), fixed network operators, media companies, analysts and other stakeholders. During the trial period, the partners plan to extend coverage to additional nearby buildings to test performance across varied urban locations and use cases.
What this means for broadband rollout
Major providers such as Virgin Media and BT continue to plan FTTP rollouts, but those projects require significant time and investment to reach scale. 5G FWA offers a complementary approach: faster to deploy and potentially more cost-effective in targeted areas. Trials like the Samsung–Arqiva deployment will help clarify where FWA can best supplement fibre and where full FTTP remains the preferred long-term solution.
As the trial progresses, stakeholders will evaluate throughput, latency, reliability, installation complexity, and the overall user experience. The results will inform future decisions about investment, spectrum use, and hybrid network strategies that combine fibre and wireless technologies to accelerate nationwide access to gigabit-capable broadband.
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