Huawei and NTT DOCOMO successfully test 5G technology in the field

The Chinese company Huawei and the Japanese telecommunications giant NTT DOCOMO successfully conducted the world's first large-scale tests of wireless data transmission using 5G technology using the sub-6GHz band. Specialists were able to transfer data at a speed of 3.6 gbit / s.

Experts from the International Telecommunication Union determined the upper limit of the data transfer speed in the 5G network at 20 Gb / s, but achieving such bandwidth is quite difficult, so 3.6 Gb / s is considered an excellent result. The current test differs from all other experiments in its scale - the fact is that until now the technology has been tested in laboratory conditions.

At the same time, in other experiments, specialists used a different spectral range for data transmission, which allows transmitting data at a higher speed, but only in open areas. Walls and other obstructions were virtually opaque to such a signal.

For example, tests conducted by Samsung made it possible to transfer data at a speed of 7.5 Gbit / s in the laboratory. When conducting similar tests in motion, the speed dropped to 1.2 Gbit / s, and the speed of the station with receiving equipment was only about 100 km / h on a track segment of 4.35 km. These tests were carried out with a spectrum of 28 GHz. Nokia Networks managed to transfer data at a speed of 10 Gbit / s, but again, the tests were carried out in the 73 GHz band.



The obvious problem with working with such frequencies is the need to create a new type of network, with the development of new equipment, which can be quite a costly task. And Huawei managed to transfer data using a frequency in the sub-6GHz band, which is widely used.

Field tests were conducted in an open area in China using data transfer technologies such as Multi-User MIMO, Sparse Code Multiple Access (SCMA) and Filtered OFDM (F-OFDM).

The downstream bandwidth was 1.34 Gb / s, with a maximum value of 3.6 Gb / s. At the same time, Huawei also worked with a 5G SU-MIMO prototype, with a peak bandwidth of 10 Gbit / s at a frequency of 200 MHz.

“For the first time in the world, it was possible to successfully conduct such testing, and this is an important event. 5G frequencies are planned to be used for commercial purposes by 2020. Huawei and DOCOMO were able to succeed, and now the next phase of testing will be carried out in Japan, ”said DOCOMO Vice President.

“The combined efforts of our teams have allowed us to achieve significant success, which will ensure the fulfillment of the Huawei plan for the development of technology standards for 5G from Huawei until 2018. Results like this show how fast we are moving. I’m sure that we will achieve great success if we continue to work with 5G, ”Wen Tong commented on the situation of Huawei Wireless STO.

Now, Huawei plans to launch 5G pilot networks together with its partners, and this should happen in 2018. The global implementation of the 5G standard is scheduled for 2020.