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/

This is the fourth time an employee of Samsung received the prestigious award. On this occasion, it was presented to Aris Papasakellariou, a Senior Director of Standards at Samsung Research America, in recognition of his contributions in the field of radio access technology for 5G.

Each year, the award is presented to four individuals who have made outstanding technical contributions to the development of next generation mobile broadband standards in 3GPP. An estimated 1,500 researchers are participating in the 3GPP working group.

“Beyond an individual recognition, this is a validation of the proactive participation taken by Samsung in bringing about future network standards,” said Aris Papasakellariou. “Samsung’s team of engineers will continue its contribution to mobile broadband standardizations and help provide the platform for 3GPP NR (New Radio) and 5G connectivity.”

Samsung has made big strides to making 5G a reality, unveiling the world’s first 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) commercial solutions at MWC 2018 while announcing its collaboration with global network providers. Samsung was selected to supply Verizon with commercial 5G FWA network solutions. The two companies will begin by launching commercial 5G services in Sacramento, California in the second half of 2018. Samsung is collaborating with Charter Communications on 5G trials in the U.S. while Sprint announced that it would deploy Samsung’s 5G solutions to increase Gigabit speeds and capacity.

A Strong Foundation Lays the Groundwork for Convenient 5G Technology

Unveiled at the event was a chipset supporting 28 GHz, a 5G spectrum, home devices, base stations and network core equipment. Samsung’s 5G devices, when installed in homes or enterprises, will automatically be recognized by 5G base stations and provided with ultra-fast broadband service of up to 1Gbps, while the network core equipment is responsible for resource management and real-time data traffic distribution.

Central to the initial phase of 5G is the notion of an ecosystem – an ecosystem that covers manufacturers of chipsets, devices and other equipment. Samsung stands out as a key player in the industry with end-to-end solutions that deal with each aspect of this 5G network cycle, enabling early 5G commercialization and stable service quality. This is precisely why Verizon, the largest mobile network operator in the U.S. and an industry leader when it comes to 5G commercialization, has selected Samsung as its vendor.

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“What it means for a single company to be able to provide chips, devices and equipment is that it can optimize 5G and bring out the best of this new exciting technology all by itself,” said Tim Baxter, President of Samsung Electronics America. “Beginning this year, we plan on peeling off the layers, one by one, to show how a connected world built by a full 5G commercial product lineup will unfold before our eyes.”

Six Years of R&D Finally Coming to Fruition

Samsung has demonstrated its technological expertise throughout the evolution of communications – from 2G to 3G and 4G. Indeed, the company was the first to commercialize CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) during the 2G era. Samsung was also at the forefront of 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) innovation as a key vendor in technologically advanced markets such as the US, Japan, Korea and the UK. Its business has now expanded into rapidly developing India, where Samsung is the sole vendor of the country’s 4G LTE nationwide network.

Samsung has been convinced of the potential that the millimeter wave spectrum holds since 2012, and has been investing in 5G R&D ever since. These efforts have resulted in the successful development of beamforming technology that supports directional signal transmission or reception. Based on this achievement, a technology that enables transmission speeds of over 1Gbps and is capable of covering distances of up to 2 kilometers using a 28 GHz band was developed and demonstrated in May of 2013.

In 2014, a seamless data transmission speed of 1.2Gpbs was achieved during a demonstration held in a vehicle moving at 100 km/h. It was the time that 5G technology had reached Gbps-level speed in a mobile environment. When the vehicle was stationary, the speeds reached 7.5Gbps, which was another new record.

That was directly followed by the first successful demonstration of 5G handover technology, which has allowed Samsung to further accelerate 5G’s commercialization. Handover is regarded as a critical technology for networks as it signifies seamless coverage for smart devices when a user moves between base stations. In March of 2016, Samsung became the first in the industry to successfully accomplish a multi-cell handover demonstration by achieving Gbps-level connectivity while a vehicle moved across three 5G base stations at 25 km/h.

In September of 2017, Samsung demonstrated seamless connectivity with a vehicle traveling at over 200 km/h, as well as a successful handover with a vehicle moving at 192 km/h. These remarkable achievements proved that the application of 5G on high-speed trains was a feasible concept.

Around this time, Samsung also successfully proved the capabilities of a 4G-5G intertwined network that binds together three spectrums by linking a 4G LTE network that utilizes the 2.6 GHz band with a 5G network that uses the 28 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands. Interworking between different-generation networks is recognized in the industry as a prerequisite for fostering 5G commercialization.

Accelerating the 5G Era with Operators Worldwide

By nature, telecommunications service can only begin once an operator has acquired the rights to use a particular spectrum from its government and established infrastructure with its vendor. It is absolutely crucial that the service allows multiple users to simultaneously enjoy seamless connection anywhere and anytime. 5G commercialization is no exception to this rule; cooperation between operators, equipment vendors and device manufacturers is a must.

Samsung has been focusing on intensifying its technical and business bonds with operators in markets with advanced 5G adoption such as Korea, the US and Japan. The US is the first country to have acquired the 28 GHz spectrum, and it plans on launching FWA (fixed wireless access) service using 5G technology in the second half of this year. Samsung is in the midst of carrying out 5G trial services in key US cities together with Verizon and has already deployed 5G networks in seven of the eleven cities – Sacramento included – where Verizon provides its service. To add to the list are the 5G trials being carried out in Indiana with AT&T, as well as another with T-Mobile.

Korea is quickly gaining recognition as a testbed for the latest technologies. In September of 2017, together with the Korean telecommunications operator SK Telecom, Samsung successfully demonstrated, for the first time ever, how 4G and 5G networks can interwork with one another.

Japan has targeted the year 2020 for 5G commercialization, to coincide with a large-scale sporting event that will be held in Tokyo. Together with the country’s leading operator, NTT DOCOMO, Samsung successfully demonstrated the 5G technology in a vehicle traveling at high speed in November of 2016. With KDDI, another key operator in Japan, Samsung conducted a 5G demonstration on a Tokyo highway in February of last year. In December of the same year, the joint efforts extended into a 5G test held on a high-speed train.

Also collaborating with Samsung to accelerate 5G commercialization is the French operator Orange. Together with Korea Telecom and Verizon, Samsung has also established the specifications required for 5G trial services in Korea, as well as commercial FWA service in the U.S.

“Samsung has always been an active promoter of international cooperation with its 5G total solutions at the root,” said Wonil Roh, Vice President and Head of the Technology Strategy Group, Networks Business, Samsung Electronics. “These experiences are a validation of why operators worldwide find Samsung to be the most ideal partner for 5G network establishment.”

As early as the second half of 2018, people in the U.S. will be among the first to experience commercial 5G services, thanks to the recent agreement between Samsung and Verizon. The agreement, which outlines Samsung’s supply of 5G technology-based Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) network solutions to the largest mobile network operator in the U.S., has enabled the initiation of 5G services to begin two years earlier than the industry had originally forecasted.

5G FWA stands out as a key technology that allows for the supply of connectivity services (in Gigabit speeds) through radio spectrum, without requiring the deployment of copper and optical fiber networks. Samsung and Verizon will introduce the service during the second half of this year in Sacramento. The companies expect to increase the number of households that use the FWA service to 30 million in the coming years.

The Worldwide Race for 5G Commercialization

However, the U.S. is not the only country looking to charge into the 5G era. Samsung has been closely collaborating with Korean operators, and recently, the company demonstrated the potential of 5G through various trial services. In nearby Japan, a number of major mobile operators will invest a combined 5 trillion yen (USD 44.86 billion) to successfully provide nationwide 5G services by 2023. The country has further plans to commence 5G services in selected areas in 2020, when a large-scale sporting event will take place in Tokyo.

Meanwhile, telecommunications service providers, device manufacturers and government organizations across the world are conducting ongoing research to examine the scenarios for 5G networks, as the emergence of new generation telecommunications technology will provide unprecedented business opportunities in a variety of areas such as autonomous cars, robots and virtual reality (VR). Judging by the massive benefits that 5G is expected to bring, it is not surprising that many establishments aim to have 5G commercialized as early as possible.

“The 5G era is approaching much sooner than the industry initially anticipated, which was the year 2020,” said Dongsu Shin, Vice President and Head of Planning Group, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “We will drive the supply of 5G equipment so people across the globe can experience services generated by this new technology at the earliest opportunity.”

So How Exactly Does 5G Work?

In the near future, 5G will completely change how people use and communicate with technology. It will even change the manner in which different technologies communicate with each other. All this will take place faster and more reliably than ever before. As a result, downloads will take place at lightning speeds, autonomous vehicles will be safer thanks to faster reaction times, and industries will be transformed with new ways to connect machinery and stock.

The secret to 5G’s super-fast speeds, incredibly low latency and unsurpassed connectivity lies in its three key technologies: eMBB (enhanced Mobile Broadband), URLLC (Ultra Reliable & Low Latency Communications) and mMTC (massive Machine-Type Communications).

eMBB (enhanced Mobile Broadband): This is the technology that will enable users to download a 15GB full-length high-definition movie in 6 seconds. That is much faster than the 4 minutes it currently takes to download the same movie on a 4G connection.

With eMBB, large amounts of data may be transmitted at much higher speeds. 5G networks can provide peak data transmission speeds of up to 20Gbps (2.5GB of data transmitted per second).

URLLC (Ultra Reliable & Low Latency Communications): The aim with autonomous vehicles is to always make the driving experience as safe as possible. Thanks to URLLC, autonomous vehicle collisions will be less likely to occur in the 5G era, as there will only be a one-millisecond (ms) signal delay, and thus the car will only move a few centimeters before stopping when danger is detected. This is a huge leap from 4G, where the distance that a car travels before coming to a stop once danger is detected is a meter.

URLLC promises a stable network and the lowest possible latency to initiate connectivity. (The lower the latency – measured in milliseconds – the better the network performance.) It will enable one-millisecond latency between a user device and a network, compared to tens of milliseconds today. This is also especially useful for services that require real-time correspondence of networks, such as the remote control of robots, and real-time interactive games.

mMTC (massive Machine-Type Communications): This technology sets the foundation for an IoT (Internet of Things)-powered future where the majority of our devices will be connected. 5G will support mMTC, allowing machines (up to one million devices within an area of one square kilometer) to communicate with one another with only minimal human involvement.

mMTC will also support various industrial applications. For example, the modification of manufacturing processes based on real-time demands from consumers will be made possible via 5G connection modules incorporated into factory equipment. Furthermore, inventory organization will be improved while product defects will be reduced, thanks to the enhanced deep learning capabilities of robots connected via 5G.

MWC 2018: A Look into the Near Future of 5G

At the Samsung Networks booth at MWC 2018, Samsung is showcasing a wide array of 5G technologies, including the world’s first end-to-end 5G FWA (fixed wireless access) commercial solutions, and offering guests a glimpse at how user-centric 5G networks will soon transform our homes, cars, cities and more.

For example, the booth’s Transportation Solutions zone spotlights Samsung’s collaboration with Harman to develop TCU (Telematics Control Units) and RSU (Road Side Units) for autonomous cars. These provide lightning-fast data speeds that make it possible for passengers to enjoy ultra-high definition (UHD) videos, as well as instant access to a wealth of traffic, weather and other information. They also help minimize collisions by enabling cars to respond more quickly when detecting danger.

The exhibit also demonstrates how the company’s solutions powered the first demonstration of 5G connections on a high-speed train. The solutions, which achieved a peak speed of 1.7Gbps on a train traveling at over 100 kilometers per hour, supported the seamless streaming of 8K video and the uploading of 4K video, and may soon allow trains to benefit from superior passenger infotainment and increased security and analytics.

The Residential Solutions zone illustrates how Samsung’s 5G products, once FWA is commercialized, will allow members of a residence to each stream their own 4K content simultaneously, without interruptions. Likewise, gamers will be able to play on a 5G cloud network with minimal hardware and latency as low as a one millisecond. This means that games which typically require a console and lots of storage space may be played comfortably via the cloud, and controller input is instantaneous.

The Industrial Solutions zone features a model of a city connected by Samsung’s 5G Connectivity Node. This slim, compact device is designed to be easily installed on streetlamps and is capable of providing gigabit connectivity to link a wide range of smart city technologies, including digital signage, CCTV cameras, vehicles and IoT sensors, to 5G networks. The model demonstrates how cities may utilize 5G networks to instantly identify traffic accidents and violations and alert the proper authorities.

“A large portion of the 5G technologies that will enable the services being introduced at this year’s MWC are already at the commercialization stage,” said Dongsu Shin. “We look forward to presenting people around the world with the types of services that are yet to be experienced before by intensifying our cooperation with telecommunications companies and industry partners globally.”