LG U+ and Huawei have completed the first phase of a 5G urban field test in the 28-GHz millimeter wave 5G target spectrum band.
The end-to-end trial incorporated next-generation core network technology and 5G gNodeB new radio (NR) equipment.
Huawei said the field test validated the ability of 5G millimeter wave target frequencies to provide the urban coverage and capacity required in 5G networks.
The test using millimeter wave cell achieved a downlink rate of 2.5Gbps at a distance of 1km, significantly higher than the 1Gbps peak rate defined by the ITU. The peak single user rate under millimeter wave 28-GHz also reached 18.5Gbps.
Both companies plan to continue performing both high and low frequency joint network tests to help prepare for the commercial debut of 5G.
South Korean operators are racing to launch 5G in time for next year's Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Data analysis company GlobalData recently predicted that this early lead in deploying 5G will ensure that the number of 5G subscribers in South Korea overtakes the country's remaining 3G customers by 2020.
News of the trial also comes shortly after Ericsson partnered with both KDDI and Softbank to extend their respective 5G trials to the 4.5-GHz band. The companies have already been conducting trials over 28-GHz. Japan is expected to be another early adopter of 5G technology.