Samsung reached Wi-Fi downlink speeds of 1.8Gbps using a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra on a moving subway train in the trial. This speed is approximately 25 times faster than the current average speed of 71Mbps on Seoul’s subway lines. The use of Samsung’s 5G Compact Macro helped boost Wi-Fi data speeds by leveraging the ultra-high capacity of 5G mmWave spectrum as a backhaul.

This trial took place in parts of Seoul Metro, covering five stations on the subway line circulating through major downtown areas. The enhanced Wi-Fi service was powered by Samsung’s 5G mmWave Compact Macro, installed along the railways and utilizing 800MHz in the 28GHz spectrum band.

In addition to delivering faster Wi-Fi speeds, the wide bandwidth of mmWave enables exceptional mobile experience on smartphones and tablets in hotspots, such as sports stadiums and shopping malls. 5G use cases have expanded to various business areas including public transportation, such as high-speed trains, buses, and more.

“We are pleased to deliver an enhanced mobile experience, with faster download speeds and connections for subway passengers, leveraging our advanced 5G mmWave solution,” said Seungil Kim, Vice President and Head of Korea Business, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Our successful speed trial on public transportation proves the high potential of 5G mmWave, demonstrating its capability to complement existing wireless technologies, and boosting the performance of legacy networks, all while providing a foundation for future telecommunication services.”

Samsung’s Compact Macro brings together a baseband unit, radio and antenna in a single form factor. This compact and lightweight solution can be easily installed on the sides of the buildings as well as on utility poles for a swift buildout of 5G networks. Samsung’s Compact Macro is the first 5G product to be listed on the U.S. National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) Product Compliant List (PCL) and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security’s Certified Product List.

Samsung has pioneered the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end infrastructure 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.

The announcement follows the launch of Samsung’s Networks Business in Australia in April 2021, and since then, the company has been exploring the delivery of Samsung’s leading 5G mmWave technologies to the nation.

TPG Telecom, a leading mobile network operator in Australia, operates a number of leading mobile and internet brands in Australia including Vodafone. Recently, TPG Telecom announced its investment of AU$108 million to acquire spectrum in all available license areas in the 26GHz band – tripling its total spectrum holdings. With abundant mmWave spectrum, TPG Telecom will be able to offer high speed data services and immersive use cases for its mobile and home users. TPG Telecom’s extensive fiber assets combined with a network of small cells will enable the deployment of vRAN architecture.

For the trial, Samsung will provide its Compact Macro and vRAN solution. Samsung’s latest 5G Compact Macro brings together a baseband, radio and antenna in a single form-factor. This compact and lightweight solution can be easily installed on the sides of buildings, as well as on utility poles, for the swift build-out of 5G networks. Samsung’s industry-leading commercial vRAN solution is built on the company’s independently developed stack, and runs on commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) servers. As a leader in vRAN, Samsung has commercially deployed its vRAN solution in wide scale for global Tier 1 operators’ networks in markets outside of Australia, and recently expanded its capability to support 3.5GHz Massive MIMO radio, which many industry voices had said would be hard to support with vRAN. Moreover, Samsung’s 5G vRAN on mmWave, already commercially deployed in global markets, including Korea, Japan and the U.S, has the capacity to support multi-gigabit speeds, delivering IT technology efficiencies and deployment advantages, while offering transformational 5G mobile experiences.

“We are very pleased to partner with Samsung as part of our new Innovation Lab to drive product and technology innovation by trialing virtualization,” said Iñaki Berroeta, CEO at TPG Telecom. “Deploying mmWave spectrum on our 5G network together with vRAN architecture will allow us to develop exciting 5G use cases for industry verticals and enable the delivery of even faster speeds and greater capacity for our customers.”

“Samsung is excited to begin this trial with TPG Telecom powered by our innovative 5G vRAN solution and latest integrated 26GHz mmWave product, which will be the first in Australia,” said Woojune Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Through a combination of our powerful 5G solutions and ongoing efforts in 5G development, Samsung looks forward to helping TPG Telecom gain the full benefits of 5G to reshape the value of mobile experiences for users and enterprises.”

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.

About TPG Telecom

TPG Telecom (ASX:TPG) is an Australian telecommunications company which is home to some of Australia’s most-loved brands including Vodafone, TPG, iiNet, AAPT, Internode, Lebara and felix.

TPG Telecom owns and operates nationwide mobile and fixed networks that are connecting Australia for the better. These include Australia’s second-largest fixed voice and data network, with more than 27,000 kilometres of metropolitan and inter-capital fibre networks and a leading mobile network comprising more than 5,600 sites and covering over 23 million Australians.

As the second largest telecommunications company listed on the ASX, TPG Telecom has a strong challenger spirit and a commitment to delivering the best services and products to our customers.

For more information, visit https://www.tpgtelecom.com.au/

From safety solutions that alert you of hazards while driving, to technology that allows passengers to view concerts from the comfort of their vehicles, a whole new wave of connected vehicle technologies is right around the corner. However, to enjoy various experiences on the move, vehicles must be equipped with telematics control units (TCUs) to allow faster data communication in the vehicle.

As the advancement of TCU technology makes an increasing number of in-vehicle activities possible, the communications technology that allows large volumes of data to travel at faster speeds is becoming increasingly important. Samsung Electronics introduced the world’s first 5G-ready TCU in 2019, and now it has turned its attention to 5G mmWave. When it comes to providing large quantities of road information to the driver in real-time and implementing connected-car services, the ability of 5G mmWave to facilitate the transmission of large volumes of data at rapid speeds is crucial.

Newsroom looks into Samsung’s innovative efforts to bring the Automotive mmWave 5G TCU to vehicles.

Ultra-high Speed, Ultra-low Latency and Ultra-connectivity for Connected Vehicles

TCUs capable of tapping into 5G can provide information on the road to the driver while also utilizing rapid internet speeds to enable high quality content to be displayed. While it was working on developing the 5G TCU, Samsung came to the conclusion that 5G mmWave, which reduces data transfer latency to a minimum and is capable of covering a lot of vehicles at once, would be necessary to enable prompt communication between vehicles, pedestrians and infrastructure.

5G mmWave offers 100MHz to 1GHz of bandwidth, which is more than 10 times wider than the 5 to 100MHz of bandwidth currently offered by most wireless communication solutions operating on sub-6GHz spectrum. Samsung, having realized the unlimited possibilities of mmWave spectrum from the outset, has worked on making 5G a reality for more than ten years, starting with the frontier research regarding high-speed digital transmissions at ultra-high frequencies in 2009.

Based on such efforts, the wider bandwidth offered by mmWave allows large amounts of data to be transmitted more quickly, enabling users to seamlessly make use of real-time road information and vehicle-to-vehicle communication. However, the establishment of this technology required differentiated antenna positioning and a TCU design that would ensure stable communication due to high penetration losses, high propagation losses and the ease with which signals are blocked by obstacles.

Mass Data Transmission Achieved with mmWave and Beamforming Technology

In order to efficiently transmit, receive and utilize 5G mmWave, Samsung utilizes array antenna beamforming technology. Beamforming technology allows antenna beams to be concentrated in a certain direction and transmitted powerfully. This technology minimizes unwanted interference, increases transmission coverage and enables data to be both sent and received at ultra-high speeds through more stable connections and faster transmission, even when the vehicle is moving. To achieve this, Samsung underwent a lot of trial and error and extensive testing before producing a feasible circuit design and, eventually, establishing the mmWave 5G TCU.

Compact Macro, Samsung’s mmWave base station, has 1,024 antenna elements and supports sharp and precise beamforming. The 5G Compact Macro offers seamless connectivity to high-speed cars driving at 200 km/h, successfully delivering the full benefits of 5G to users.

Beamforming has been optimized through field testing in which the technology was implemented in real vehicles. An optimized heat sink structure was implemented by conducting current energy consumption and heat radiation tests to make sure the TCU would still work in extremely hot or cold temperatures.

Array Antenna Beamforming

The New Experiences Enabled by the mmWave 5G TCU

5G mmWave array antenna beamforming technology is expected to deliver a solution with great potential. When the Automotive mmWave 5G TCU for vehicles is commercialized, rapid and stable communications will enable a whole new world of improved in-vehicle services. What’s more, users will be able to enjoy both safe and entertaining driving, in addition to enhanced V2X (Vehicle to Everything) services.

One of the most anticipated vehicle functions that is expected to be brought closer to realization due to the establishment of the mmWave 5G TCU is complete autonomous driving. This is because real-time communication with no delay in data transmission allows you to be aware of road conditions in advance and prepare for unexpected situations. In addition, the technology will enable use cases such as vehicle platooning and the remote driving of unmanned vehicles. When a driver is driving their vehicle themselves, a quick risk warning service and high-definition road images transmitted with ultra-low delay will further assist in making driving safer.

And opportunities for passengers to access entertainment will be more abundant as well. Traveling will no longer have to feel tedious when mmWave services such as UHD 8K video streaming are made available from all seats in buses and taxis. But the entertainment options won’t be limited to video streaming, with this technology also allowing viewers to access content such as games, live concerts and events, and other brand new multimedia services that utilize VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality). We look forward to watching 5G TCU technology contribute to transforming the in-vehicle experience for users.