Electronics giant Samsung has taken a significant stride toward the commercial delivery of 5G mobile phone platform after it successfully transferred data at the rate of 1 gigabit per second at a range of up to 2km – sufficient to stream high-definition 3D video in real time.
The breakthrough would mark a step change from existing 4G technology, which is only just been rolled out, offering rates of data exchange which are many hundreds of times faster.
By 2020 the service could even accommodate residential users although this would necessitate construction of a nationwide array of telephone masts.
Samsung’s solution entails harnessing high-frequency wavebands which had previously been ignored by mobile networks who had deemed them unsuitable for such transmissions.
In a blogpost Samsung said: “The new technology sits at the core of 5G mobile communications system and will provide data transmission up to several hundred times faster than current 4G networks.
“The implementation of a high-speed 5G cellular network requires a broad band of frequencies, much like an increased water flow requires a wider pipe.
“While it was a recognised option, it has been long believed that the millimetre-wave bands had limitations in transmitting data over long distances due to its unfavourable propagation characteristics.
“However, Samsung’s new adaptive array transceiver technology has proved itself as a successful solution.”