Following the recently signed agreement by the companies, the trial – which has already started the first week of February – will last for five months across multiple residences and offices in Milan, the second largest city in Italy.

In the first week of the trial – held on 26GHz of spectrum recently acquired by Fastweb during Italy’s 5G frequencies auction in October 2018 – download speeds reached 1 Gbps. The next steps of the trial will verify the effectiveness of 5G FWA networks concerning the cost and time for its deployment compared to conventional FTTH roll-out as well as potential operational challenges in the provision of the service to the end customers.

Samsung supplies Fastweb with an end-to-end 5G FWA solution that includes core, 5G Radio Access Units that leverages millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum to provide high-density coverage and ultra-high-bandwidth connectivity to 5G home routers (Indoor Customer Premise Equipment), installed in nearby homes or offices.

Samsung’s compact 5G Access Units are easy to rapidly deploy, while the CPE is self-installing. This gives 5G Fixed Wireless considerable advantages over comparable FTTH or FTTB (Fiber-to-the- Building) deployments in terms of service rollout times and costs to both the service provider and the subscriber. At the same time, the service is robust – able to deliver gigabit broadband speeds to neighbourhoods – and can very easily be extended to support new services in the future.

“We are excited to deliver the first 5G FWA end-to-end connectivity in Italy with Fastweb to bring the next generation speed to users,” said Paul Kyungwhoon Cheun, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung will work with Fastweb to turn the vast potentials of 5G FWA using 26GHz into true benefits for both customers and enterprises.”

“This trial has already confirmed the outstanding performances of 5G FWA and the capability of this technology to provide a “fiber-like” ultrabroadband service to families and business in areas not reached by FTTH. To accomplish our mission of addressing the market needs and enhancing user experience, we will leverage 5G FWA to expand the coverage of our proprietary ultra-broadband infrastructure,” said Alberto Calcagno, CEO Fastweb.

“We are confident that with this trial with Samsung, we can demonstrate both the technical and commercial feasibility of mmWave FWA in Italy.”

Fastweb is moving forward with these tests because Italy offers the ideal conditions for 5G FWA technology to power domestic broadband, thanks to fiber being widely available at cabinet level, making it easier to deploy antennas for 5G FWA at ideal distance from the buildings. Furthermore, TV antennas are pre-installed on 99 percent of the roofs, facilitating easy installation of additional equipment. After the tests are successful, Fastweb will usher in a new generation of connectivity to Italy.

About Fastweb

With 2.5 million wireline customers and 1.5 million mobile customers, Fastweb is a major Italian telecom operator, providing a wide range of voice and data services, on wireline and wireless networks, to families and businesses. Since its creation in 1999, the company has focused on innovation and infrastructures to provide high quality ultra-broadband connectivity. Thanks to the continuous expansion of its ultrabroadband network, Fastweb today reaches 22 million households, of which 8 with a proprietary infrastructure, with connection speeds of up to 1 Gigabit.

Mobile World Live TV is the video broadcast service that provides telecommunications content throughout MWC each year. This year marks the first trial of 5G live broadcasting in the history of Mobile World Live TV.

Throughout the broadcast, Samsung’s 5G solutions will be used, which are composed of a radio access unit (5G Radio) and a 5G router (CPE), powering the content shot by the High Definition Television Video (HDTV) camera at the booth of Mobile World Live TV located in Broadcast Village, Gran Via.

Previously, fiber-based backhaul was used for transmission from Mobile World Live TV’s booth to its production facility. This year’s transmission will be supported by Samsung’s 5G network, which is effective in overcoming the physical limitations of a fiber-based network. 5G broadcast offers ultra-low latency for the transmission of large files such as video content.

“We are thrilled to demonstrate how our latest technology can make an outstanding difference in creating new possibilities for broadcast at MWC19 Barcelona, the largest trade show in the mobile industry,” said GY Seo, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is committed to meeting market demands of larger capacity and ultra-low latency attributed to the advancement of the entertainment industry.”

“Mobile World Live TV has a history of using mobile technology to power its broadcast, with 4G cameras supporting live transmission from across Fira Gran Via and the city of Barcelona in previous years. For 2019 we are excited to broadcast using Samsung’s 5G network, enabling true seamless transmission without latency,” said Justin Springham, Director of Media Content and Broadcast, GSMA. “Mobile World Live TV and Samsung will be at the forefront of offering immersive user experiences thanks to this 5G broadcast.”

As the power of broadcasting lies with immediate engagement and interaction with viewers, the network used for broadcasting a live channel should be able to support seamless transmission of high-quality and large-capacity content via televisions and other electronic devices without experiencing latency. User experiences with broadcast are essential in determining the capabilities of 5G network solutions to support live broadcast more broadly in the future.

Meanwhile, following its world’s first complete commercialization of 5G FWA solutions, comprised of 5G radio (access unit and virtualized RAN), 5G routers and next-generation core in February 2018, Samsung brought one of the smallest integrated FCC-certified 5G radio base stations and 5G home routers (CPEs) to the market. In addition to its successful commercialization of 5G services across the U.S., Samsung has been selected by one of the major Korean operators as a 5G vendor.

Mobile World Live TV is the GSMA’s award-winning broadcast service of MWC19 Barcelona. It airs from 4pm CET Sunday 24 February through 4pm Thursday 28 February. For more information visit http://www.mobileworldlive.com.

For further information on Samsung’s 5G solutions at MWC19 Barcelona, please visit: https://www.samsung.com/global/business/networks/insights/event/mobile-world-congress-2019/

The demonstration zone was set up in the exhibition hall of the Popov Central Museum of Radio Communications, one of the world’s oldest museums of science and technology, in St. Petersburg. Guests and journalists were given the chance to make HD video calls and play a football simulation video game on Samsung’s 5G prototype tablets. 5G provides an unprecedented mobile video game user experience by dramatically reducing the response rate between devices.

The demonstrations also included streaming of 4K ultra-high definition video. These trials utilized Samsung’s 5G end-to-end solutions including 5G routers (CPE, Customer Premise Equipment) and prototype tablets, 5G radio access unit, virtualized RAN and virtualized core network.

“Our goal is to adapt new technologies to commercial use in cooperation with industry-leading vendors. Today’s trial with Samsung Electronics demonstrates that 5G is not an academic theory, but presents a nearly ready set of practical network solutions that will allow customers to manage a broad range of everyday tasks and open new opportunities that are unachievable on 4G,” commented Pavel Korotin, Director of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region, MTS.

“Today’s tests demonstrated the readiness of MTS’s network infrastructure for the deployment of 5G. Samsung is pleased to have MTS as our partner to together explore the capabilities of 5G that are essential to unlocking near-term use cases for both customers and enterprises,” said Seungsik Choi, Vice President of Samsung Electronics Russia.

Samsung and MTS began their cooperation in 2014 with the launch of LTE networks in the Northwestern Federal District of Russia, including St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. In the second half of 2017, Samsung and MTS signed an agreement to expand and upgrade MTS’ network with LTE-Advanced Pro and IoT features. The companies will also continue their collaboration on 5G.

About Mobile TeleSystems PJSC

Mobile TeleSystems PJSC (“MTS” – NYSE:MBT; MOEX:MTSS), the leading telecommunications group in Russia and the CIS, provides a range of mobile, fixed-line and digital services. We serve over 100 million mobile subscribers in Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, and Belarus, and about 9 million customers of fixed-line services, including fixed voice, broadband internet, and pay-TV. To keep pace with evolving customer demand, MTS is redefining what telecommunications services are by offering innovative products beyond its core network-related businesses in various tech segments, including Big Data, financial and banking services, internet of things, OTT, cloud computing, systems integration and e-commerce.

We leverage our market-leading retail network as a platform for customer services and sales of devices and accessories. MTS maintains its leadership in the Russian mobile market in terms of revenue and profitability. MTS is majority-owned by Sistema PJSFC. Since 2000, MTS shares have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange and since 2003 – on the Moscow Exchange. For more information, please visit: www.mtsgsm.com.

Since the announcement in February by the three companies of the first multi-vendor 5G fixed wireless trial in Europe (Link), the friendly-user trial has been running for a month and a half across multiple homes in Floresti, Cluj district, Romania. The trial makes use of Samsung’s 5G solutions including the virtualized RAN, one of the smallest 5G access units and multiple indoor and outdoor 5G routers (CPE), as well as Cisco’s Meraki Z3 WiFi Router and Ultra Gateway Platform which delivers a 5G virtual packet core on top of Cisco NFV Infrastructure that brings enhanced throughput and flexibility.

By leveraging the wide bandwidth available at 26 GHz and advanced antenna technologies such as massive MIMO and beamforming, the companies were able to achieve coverage beyond 1 km at 1 Gbps speed for a single user in real live conditions. Measurements in these conditions also show aggregated cell downlink throughputs of 3 Gbps with few users, although the system capacity is significantly higher.

On July 2 and 3, Samsung and Cisco together with Orange are holding a demonstration near Floresti City Hall to present the results of the trial and showcase some of the most promising 5G-powered smart city and home entertainment solutions in front of media and partners from across the industry.

Smart City Applications

Samsung’s Connectivity Node is installed on a streetlamp to provide wireless connectivity for temperature and humidity sensors and security cameras. Sensors and cameras are connected wirelessly to the node, which is then connected to the core network via 5G. The Connectivity Node is a compact, high-capacity, easy-to-install and economical alternative for places where wireline deployment is unfeasible or costly.

Home Entertainment Applications

Several parallel UHD videos and VR sessions are streamed simultaneously over the same 5G broadband connection. All of the content is transmitted via the 5G core and 5G radio link. The 5G system capacity is crucial to this demonstration as it not only allows simultaneous UHD streaming over multiple screens under one roof, but also provides extra capacity in case content consumption further increases.

In another demonstration, two players compete against each other in a live cloud video game over the 5G network. Their split-second actions and the game’s seamless operation are made possible by the network’s extremely low latency.

Real Time Security Camera Analytics

Cisco Meraki MV21 cameras are deployed, providing video coverage as well as advanced video-based analytics. Three major use-cases are demonstrated with application for Smart Cities solution as well as for B2B verticals such as retail. Video data can be used to provide accurate count of people moving in the camera field, deliver precious information to improve disposal of products in retail environment and better organise space for efficiency and improved service.

“Thanks to this first successful test of 5G Fixed Wireless Access in the 26 GHz band, Orange has been able to verify several use cases enabled by this technology. We can now better understand the way in which this technology works in real usage environments in order to complement wireline solutions. This is a major step in driving forward the development of 5G in Europe and Africa.” said Arnaud Vamparys, Senior Vice President, Radio Networks and Microwaves, at Orange.

“5G will be more than just a faster internet connection. 5G will make cities safer and more convenient than ever before, and it will bring home entertainment to new levels that only existed in our imagination,” said GY Seo, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Marketing Team, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “These demonstrations offer a glimpse into some of the new, groundbreaking services and capabilities that people across Europe will be able to enjoy in their everyday lives in the future.”

“With 5G we have the opportunity to help service providers like Orange broaden their portfolios to deliver new levels of connected experiences for consumers, businesses and governments,” said Yvette Kanouff, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Service Provider Business, Cisco. “Our work with Samsung and Orange on this project is a great example of how we are enabling an innovation eco-system to test and deliver a broad range of 5G services that will offer the communities in Romania faster connections to more devices and applications that make their lives better.”

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that has been making the Internet work since 1984. Our people, products, and partners help society securely connect and seize tomorrow’s digital opportunity today. Discover more at newsroom.cisco.com and follow us on Twitter at @Cisco.

About 1,500 standards experts from chipset, handset and equipment vendors including Samsung, Qualcomm, as well as major mobile operators such as Verizon, AT&T, NTT DoCoMo, KT and SK Telecom will attend to complete the 5G phase-1 standard.

“The first 5G standard, which includes innovative technologies developed by Samsung Electronics, will be completed at this 3GPP conference,” said Seunghwan Cho, Executive Vice President of Samsung Research. “This will lead the market to commercialize 5G communication to serve as the core infrastructure for the coming fourth industrial revolution.”

At this conference, all working groups (RAN working groups 1 to 5) that develop 5G wireless technology assemble to confirm the final technologies for 5G commercialization. These include 5G wireless access technology providing ultra-high speed data and ultra-low latency and the conformance testing method for 5G terminals.

In particular, the RAN4 working group, chaired by Samsung, will decide the radio performance requirements for 5G terminals and base stations including the 3.5GHz and 28GHz bands. This requirement will inform the radio regulations, which will be key in the deployment of a 5G spectrum when 5G commercialization starts in earnest in Korea, in the U.S. and Japan.

In December of last year, 3GPP first approved the 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) standard that uses the existing 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) as the anchor for connecting to 5G. And as the 5G Standalone (SA) standard will be completed in this Busan meeting, the 5G phase-1 standard will be officially approved at the 3GPP plenary next month in the U.S.

Samsung is leading 5G as a pioneer in the areas of new technology development, standard activities and patents. With 1,254 patents as of this month, Samsung Electronics ranked first on the list of 3GPP member companies with essential 5G standard patents declared to the European Telecommunications Standardization Organization (ETSI).

The company was successful in the world’s first 5G mobility demonstration between base stations over an ultra-high frequency (mmWave) band in 2015, having started its 5G research in 2012. In 2017, the company succeeded in 5G communication on a high-speed vehicle traveling at 200km/h and demonstrated the world’s first 8K video download and 4K video upload on the bullet train.

Samsung signed a 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) commercial agreement with Verizon in January of this year based on its industry leading 5G technologies, standards leadership and numerous field demonstrations. This February, Samsung became the first in the world to get approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the U.S. government agency regulating interstate communications, for 5G Radio access unit and outdoor Customer Premise Equipment (CPE), and also obtained approval for its 5G Home router (Indoor CPE) this month.

Younsun Kim (center), Principal Engineer of Standards Research Team at Samsung Research, is welcoming attendees at the 3GPP 5G Conference Working Group (RAN1) meeting, held in Busan on May 21, 2018.

※ Background Information

3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP):

An organization that currently develops 5G communication standard technology. More than 550 companies are participating as member companies. It consists of 16 working groups that develop standard specifications of an E2E technology of terminal, base station and system.

LTE and 5G Comparison (ITU-R, 2017.02)

3GPP Structures

Three TSG (Technology Steering Group)s and 16 working groups.

Status of Samsung’s Leadership in 3GPP

About the Trial

The trial will be set up as a multi-vendor environment for a month-long period, in Romania. The companies will demonstrate how 5G can complement existing fiber deployments to deliver high-quality, high-speed bandwidth services.

The Multi-Vendor Solution

Samsung and Cisco are working together to supply Orange with an end-to-end solution to deliver a gigabit-powered experience to trial customers. Samsung will provide commercial 5G home routers (indoor and outdoor customer-premises equipment (CPE)), 5G Radio Access Units (RAN) comprised of a compact radio base station and virtualized RAN elements, as well as 5G radio frequency planning services. Cisco will supply its Cisco Ultra Gateway Platform, delivering a 5G virtual packet core on top of Cisco NFV Infrastructure. The mobile gateway will be deployed with Control and User Plane Separation (CUPS) for enhanced throughput and flexibility.

Since 2017, Samsung and Cisco have conducted a series of comprehensive network vendor interoperability tests that demonstrated seamless interworking between the virtualized core network, virtualized radio network and CPE.

“Together with Samsung and Cisco, we are joining forces to drive the development of 5G and prepare for its progressive roll-out starting 2020,” said Arnaud Vamparys, Senior Vice President, Radio Networks and Microwaves, Orange. “This trial will demonstrate how FWA, NFV and multi-vendor interoperability create new opportunities and gives us flexibility to build our next-generation network as a multi-service network.”

“Samsung is pleased to partner with Orange and Cicso to address new market needs and explore together enhanced user experiences with our trial efforts,” said GY Seo, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Marketing Team, Networks Business, Samsung Electronics. “To bring Giga-speed broadband to more users across Europe, 5G FWA is a promising, fast-to-market and cost-effective option, as well as a viable alternative where fiber deployment is impracticable.”

“Industry collaboration for innovation and multi-vendor interoperability is paramount to the success of 5G,” said Yvette Kanouff, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Service Provider Business, Cisco. “5G is pushing the network to new lengths, with the need for greater bandwidth a top priority for all service providers. Our work with Samsung and Orange on this project spotlights how new scaling models and innovative virtualization solutions can deliver on the promise of 5G for an always on, connected society.”

About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that has been making the Internet work since 1984. Our people, products, and partners help society securely connect and seize tomorrow’s digital opportunity today. Discover more at newsroom.cisco.com and follow us on Twitter at @Cisco.

KDDI and Samsung Electronics have successfully completed the first 5G demonstration on a moving train traveling at over 100 km/hour (over 60 mph). This was achieved along a section of track where the distance between two stations was approximately 1.5km (nearly 1 mile). During the demonstration, the companies achieved a successful downlink and uplink handover as well as a peak speed of 1.7 Gbps.

The tests were carried out from October 17^th through the 19^th in the city of Saitama in Japan, near Tokyo. For the tests, Samsung’s 5G pre-commercial end-to-end solution was used, which is composed of a 5G router (CPE), radio access unit (5G Radio), virtualized RAN and virtualized core.

The demonstration leveraged capabilities driven by 5G, such as high throughput, low latency and massive connections, which verified potential services and use cases that would be highly-beneficial to passengers and operators of high-speed trains. This could pave the way to vastly improved backhaul for onboard WiFi, superior passenger infotainment and increased security and analytics.

In addition to a successful downlink and uplink handover at more than 100km/hour (over 60 mph), 8K video was downloaded via the CPE installed on-board, and a 4K video, filmed on a camera mounted on the train, was able to be uploaded.

“In collaboration with Samsung, KDDI has opened up the possibility for new 5G vertical business models, such as a high-speed train. With 5G expected to bring railway services to a whole new dimension, the success of today’s demonstration in everyday locations such as a train and a train station is an important milestone indicating 5G commercialization is near,” said Yoshiaki Uchida, Senior Managing Executive Officer at KDDI. “To fulfill our aim to launch 5G by 2020, KDDI will continue exploring real-life scenario experiments for diverse 5G use and business cases together with Samsung.”

“The potentials that 5G holds is powerful enough to transform the landscape of our daily lives,” said Youngky Kim, President and Head of Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “The success of today’s demonstration is a result of our joint research with KDDI, which we will continue to pursue as we explore next generation networks and use cases This will include research on diverse spectrums and technologies, as well as new business models and applications.”

Since 2015, KDDI and Samsung Electronics have been closely collaborating to demonstrate 5G millimeter wave performance in various scenarios. This includes a multi-cell handover demonstration that took place in February, where the device was mounted on a car that traveled in the busy streets of Tokyo (Link), and a high-speed mobility test with the device attached on a car racing at 200km/h in Yongin, Korea in September (Link).

About KDDI

KDDI, a Fortune Global 500 company and one of Asia’s largest telecommunications providers, has a proven global track record of high quality service delivery. We provide a multitude of services, including mobile phone services, fixed-line communication, and data centers, thus making us the optimum one-stop solution provider for everything telecommunications and IT environment related.