In the latest 5G breakthrough, Ericsson has announced it has achieved downlink speeds of 5Gbps over pre-standard 5G network technology.
Ericsson conducted the over-the-air demonstration at its Sweden laboratory, during an event attended by senior management from NTT DoCoMo and SK Telecom. Both these operators have already announced 5G trials.
The demonstration transmission used a new radio interface concept and enhanced MIMO technology to deliver the speeds.
Ericsson said its early 5G development work includes working on new antenna technologies, base stations designed specifically for 5G trials, small cells for heterogeneous networks and high-capacity backhaul transmission.
SK Telecom head of ICT R&D Alex Jinsung Choi commented that the operator “plans to take the lead in 5G wireless services so we are pleased to see the progress that Ericsson has already made with their live demonstration of 5G performance.”
In January, the South Korean government committed around $1.5 billion towards 5G R&D through to 2020 – the date the first commercial 5G implementations are expected - in a bid to help the nation take the lead with 5G development.
Ericsson announced in April that it is collaborating with Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) on 5G development work, as part of Taiwan's plan to help its vendors become key suppliers of 5G devices.