By Kang Seung-woo
U.K. communications infrastructure company Arqiva and Korea’s high-tech giant Samsung Electronics kicked off the first field trial of 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) technology in Europe, the two companies said Wednesday.
The test is based on Samsung’s network solution and customer premises equipment. Aquiva provides spectrum. The two announced the collaboration this February.
A radio access unit located on the rooftop of an Arqiva office wirelessly links to an easily installable router located by a window inside Arqiva’s nearby headquarters. Samsung’s system then provides high bandwidth connectivity.
In commercial implementations, the compact access unit can be mounted on lampposts or similar street furniture to provide reliable super-fast service to neighbourhoods and businesses alike.
The final component is Samsung’s virtualized core, which is responsible for managing user connections and data routing from Arqiva’s network to the internet. It is running on Arqiva's data center servers.
The primary aim of the trial is to demonstrate the stability of the FWA service, and its potential as a fast-to-market and cost-effective alternative to fiber for connectivity to homes and businesses, Samsung said.
“One of the most exciting prospects that 5G is expected to bring to the table is the exploration of powerful new use cases outside of traditional smart device mobile connectivity,” Samsung Executive Vice President Paul Kyung-whoon Cheun said.
“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 U.K., Europe and worldwide.”
Arqiva CEO Simon Beresford-Wylie also stressed the significance of the trial.
“This trial is the first of its kind in Europe, let alone the U.K. and we are hugely excited about the high data rates, low latency and growth potential we’re going to be able to demonstrate,” the chief said.
“We’ve seen a great level of response so far from our entire customer base, including leading mobile operators, fixed broadband providers, broadcasters and media companies. This trial will be particularly interesting for this audience as it looks to a future of ubiquitous ultra high definition and the file sizes that go with it.”