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World's First 5G Field Trial Delivers Speeds of 3.6Gbps Using Sub-6GHz

Posted by timothy on from the saturation-is-the-goal dept.

Mark.JUK writes: Global Chinese ICT firm Huawei and Japanese mobile giant NTT DOCOMO today claim to have conducted the world's first large-scale field trial of future 5th generation (5G) mobile broadband technology, which was able to deliver a peak speed of 3.6Gbps (Gigabits per second). Previous trials have used significantly higher frequency bands (e.g. 20-80GHz), which struggle with coverage and penetration through physical objects. By comparison Huawei's network operates in the sub-6GHz frequency band and made use of several new technologies, such as Multi-User MIMO (concurrent connectivity of 24 user devices in the macro-cell environment), Sparse Code Multiple Access (SCMA) and Filtered OFDM (F-OFDM). Assuming all goes well then Huawei hopes to begin a proper pilot in 2018, with interoperability testing being completed during 2019 and then a commercial launch to follow in 2020. But of course they're not the only team trying to develop a 5G solution.

11 of 55 comments (clear)

  1. Okay, so 5G isn't 5G by EzInKy · · Score: 2

    Just like 4G isn't 4G and 3G isn't 3G. Other than corporations continuing to rip people off here, what is new?

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    Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
    1. Re:Okay, so 5G isn't 5G by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      I thought he was (hopefully jokingly) suggesting that the G in 5G should stand for Gigabit.

    2. Re:Okay, so 5G isn't 5G by rossdee · · Score: 2

      I always thought that G stood for 9.8 metres per second squared
      (32 feet per second squared for the metricaly challenged

    3. Re:Okay, so 5G isn't 5G by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Nope, that'd be g. 5G is clearly 5 times the universal gravitational constant.

  2. Japan will have 5G by 2020 by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Japan is planning to have a 5G network operating in time for the 2020 Olympics. We are going to see a lot of new tech pushed for 2020 because of that opportunity to show it to the world. Faster trains, 8k TV broadcasts, lots of new EV and hydrogen cars...

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  3. sub-6GHz frequency band by sociocapitalist · · Score: 2

    "Huawei's network operates in the sub-6GHz frequency band"

    Is that the unlicensed 5Ghz band?

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    blindly antisocialist = antisocial
    1. Re:sub-6GHz frequency band by davecb · · Score: 2

      The IETF lists are concerned that some of the proposals will massively degrade the bands wi-fi uses under the current rules. It came up as a side issue in the bufferbloat discussion, which I follow.

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      davecb@spamcop.net
  4. We are screwed. by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So, 3.6 Gb/s is cool and all; but I did a quick check and Verizon is calling 18GB/month the 'XXL' plan, so this appears to be largely an exercise in accruing overage fees even faster.

    It seems like what will matter much more(unless somebody is planning to use the same tech for highly directional point-to-point wireless links, in which case raw speed is pretty useful); is how well these '5G' arrangements handle congestion; and how efficiently the amazing-fancy-theoretical-peak-throughput can be divided across a large number of users. Unless you are made of money, the problem with wireless data isn't so much how slow it is; but how costly it is(in part because of scarcity, which more efficient RF technology might actually alleviate, the 'because we can' part is a separate issue); and how it has a habit of just collapsing in a screaming heap under heavy load.

    If the impressive peak bandwidth numbers indicate a larger pool of usable transmission capacity extracted from a given chunk of spectrum, fantastic, that is progress. If they simply represent what you could do if a single client used every doesn't-play-well-with-others trick in the book to get better speeds, that's utterly useless.

    1. Re:We are screwed. by DigiShaman · · Score: 2

      I'm not worried. New equipment will be stamped out and installed into existing towers. Nothing new here as that's how it always happens. If the laws of physics become an impediment, so be it; the limitation will set expectation and thus the industry will adapt. Meaning, don't expect 8k or 16k video formats streaming over cellular service anytime soon.

      The new hotness will be voice over WiFi anyways. Xfinity (Comcast) already has a large WiFi router install base already, each one broadcast the same public SSID. The idea is that you can roam between areas with Xfinity and route all traffic through their network and not my cellular provider. In fact, I do that already with my familiar places I often visit. No need for a 6GB monthly plan. And unless you're a road-warrior, there's no need for you to have one either.

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      Life is not for the lazy.
  5. I wonder if this will benefit 4g by Chrisq · · Score: 2

    I read somewhere that the largest initial benefit with the introduction of 4g was that 3g networks improved as the real heavy data users upgraded. I wonder if the same thing will happen to 4g when 5g is introduced. It's nice to be behind the curve but benefit anyway!

  6. You're a kid, you're a squid by tepples · · Score: 2

    Huawei? Those shape-shifting squid things

    As opposed to shape-shifting kid things?