The demonstration leveraged E-UTRAN New Radio Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) technology combining 40MHz of 4G frequency and 100MHz of 5G frequency on the C-Band spectrum. Through the dual connectivity approach, Samsung achieved 2.25Gbps overall on a single user device. For the demonstration, Samsung used its latest virtualized RAN, C-Band 64T64R Massive MIMO radio, and cloud-native 5G Core. Samsung’s vRAN, which is already in use providing services on low-band spectrum in the U.S., proved its capability to support Massive MIMO radios through this achievement.

“By combining our true vRAN solution and powerful C-Band 64T64R Massive MIMO radio for the first time in the industry, Samsung achieved a significant breakthrough, increasing the throughput ten-fold, improving user experience and showing our leadership in virtualized technology,” said Junehee Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “This milestone is a result of Samsung’s ongoing efforts in 5G innovation, backed by global commercialization experience, and we aim to continue driving R&D efforts to help mobile operators deliver pioneering solutions.”

Samsung’s vRAN solution enables mobile operators to bring greater flexibility, scalability, and resource efficiency in network management with various spectrums in Time Division Duplex(TDD) and Frequency Division Duplex(FDD). Today’s solution is significant as it demonstrates how the company’s vRAN delivers performance parity with traditional hardware-based equipment, while covering spectrum from low-band to mid-band, and supporting both outdoor and indoor radio solutions for both carrier and private networks.

“Operators consistently tell us that RAN virtualization is a priority as they look to accelerate their 5G network and service deployments,” said Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence. “Samsung’s latest demonstrations will be well-received, signaling that 5G vRAN is a viable option, achieving performance on par with purpose-built hardware.”

Samsung recently announced its complete C-Band solutions portfolio, including macro and micro radios, indoor solutions, network optimization tools as well as C-Band Massive MIMO radio which has already been commercially shipped to the U.S. The company’s 5G vRAN solution was rolled out last year, delivering the industry’s first wide-scale commercialization of a fully virtualized 5G network solution.

Samsung has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions including chipsets, radios, and core. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its market-leading product portfolio from fully virtualized RAN and Core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company is currently providing network solutions to mobile operators that deliver connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world.

In a demonstration carried out in Samsung’s lab in Korea, the company successfully combined 40MHz of 4G frequency and 800MHz of 5G frequency in mmWave, achieving 5.23Gbps in data speeds to a single device. For the demonstration, Samsung used its commercial end-to-end solutions comprised of devices and network products. This includes the Samsung Galaxy S20+ smartphone, 4G radios, 5G radios (Compact Macro Link), and 4G/5G common Core (Link).

The demo used EN-DC technology, which enables operators to combine 4G and 5G to maximize the benefits of both networks, and deliver enhanced speeds, coverage and reliability. It also leveraged carrier aggregation which combines multiple channels of spectrum to gain greater efficiencies and boost data speeds over a wireless network. The successful demonstration provides a blueprint for delivering a rapid, stable and effective path to 5G service.

“Through this demonstration, Samsung is proud to achieve another breakthrough record in 5G data speeds, now spotlighting the power of using a dual 4G and 5G approach, delivered directly to a single user,” said Ji-Yun Seol, Vice President, and Head of Air Technology Group, Networks Business at Samsung. “This reinforces our commitment to delivering the best possible 5G solutions to our customers and our ongoing support to help mobile operators accelerate the benefits of 5G services to their users.”

This achievement is based on Samsung’s years of 5G research and the company’s strong commitment to enhance network experiences for every user. In 2018, Samsung began to show 5G’s capabilities with one of the first multi-gigabit 5G New Radio (NR) data connections with speeds of more than 1.7Gbps (Link). In 2019, Samsung surpassed its record by reaching data speeds of 2.65Gbps (Link), which was followed by 4.3Gbps (Link) speeds in a 2020 demo. Today, attaining data speeds of 5.23Gbps, Samsung passes another barrier, using a flexible new approach in EN-DC technology.

“Mobile operators need to make the most of their finite spectrum assets in order to ensure user experiences that deliver the full value of 5G,” remarked Ed Gubbins, Principal Analyst at GlobalData. “This achievement showcases Samsung’s distinguishing ability to leverage an end-to-end portfolio and broad expertise that spans core, RAN and devices to help operators maximize the return on their 5G investments.”

Samsung has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions including chipsets, radios, and core. Through ongoing research and development, Samsung drives the industry to advance 5G networks with its marketing-leading product portfolio from fully virtualized RAN and Core to private network solutions and AI-powered automation tools. The company is currently providing connectivity to hundreds of millions of users around the world.