Samsung and Arqiva have announced plans to run 5G trials in the UK that will focus on Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) during the second half of this year.
The UK was chosen as the launch market in Europe because of its relatively low broadband penetration in some areas and favourable spectrum conditions. Samsung and Arqiva aim to show how 5G can present a practical and competitive alternative to fibre for delivering high-speed connectivity to homes and businesses.
“With 5G trials already underway or announced in the US and Korea, we’re excited to partner with Arqiva to demonstrate how critical Europe will be to the 5G revolution,” said Thomas Riedel, Head of Samsung Networks Europe. “Europe’s diverse markets and service environments create a strong opportunity, and the UK is a prime candidate to showcase the benefits 5G can bring to consumers.”
The trials—scheduled to start in London in the second half of 2017—will deploy a complete end-to-end FWA network in the 28 GHz band. The setup will use Samsung’s 5G Access Units that operate in millimetre-wave (mmWave) frequencies and employ advanced techniques such as beamforming to deliver dense coverage and very high bandwidth to customer premises equipment (CPE) in nearby homes and offices.
Compared with fibre installations, which can take considerable time to complete, a CPE can connect new customers within minutes, offering a clear operational advantage. In addition, the physical difficulty of accessing some existing fibre cables and equipment can lengthen repair times and raise costs for both providers and subscribers.
“5G will be a crucial pillar of the UK economy in the 2020s,” said Simon Beresford-Wylie, CEO of Arqiva. “Smarter network infrastructure and improved capacity to scale connectivity will enable new applications across IoT, industrial use cases and the full potential of autonomous vehicles. Our trial with Samsung will highlight the significant potential of 5G FWA as an alternative to fibre for delivering ultra-high-speed connectivity to homes and businesses.”
Industry standards bodies are already progressing towards formal definitions of 5G performance. Draft specifications from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) indicate that 5G networks will be expected to achieve a minimum downlink peak data rate of 20 Gbps and a sustained user-experienced rate of at least 100 Mbps—speeds that would be substantially faster than the current UK broadband average.
Arqiva says it is well placed to support Samsung’s UK trials because of its access to a wide range of infrastructure assets, including mobile sites and street furniture such as lampposts, which can be used to mount 5G Access Units. Samsung plans to demonstrate its 5G technology at this year’s Mobile World Congress on its exhibit in Hall 2, Stand 2M10 at Fira Gran Via.
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