Vodafone performed today the first 5G tests in Portugal, anticipating what will be the mobile network of the future. The demonstration was carried out in partnership with Ericsson and took place in Vodafone Portugal’s Head Office Building, attaining speeds of 20Gbps ‘over the air’, i.e. without using a cable connection.
The tests were conducted in a controlled environment in Vodafone Portugal and included the transmission of files to two mobile devices under real propagation conditions at multi-Gbps speeds (over 1Gbps). In addition, beam-tracking and multi-user MIMO technology was used, on which 5G is based and which transmits data in a much more targeted way through different beams on the antennas, serving several users simultaneously more efficiently. This system optimises mobile communications, improving speed per user and achieving higher spectral efficiency.
Some of the potential that this technological innovation will enable in the future in terms of user experience was demonstrated, such as the real-time viewing of an Ultra HD/4K video on a mobile device in motion without loss of quality.
The tests also demonstrated the reduction in latency or response time of the 5G radio system, which will facilitate reliable, high-speed, critical communications in real-time, such as for intelligent or autonomous vehicles or remote robot operation.
In parallel, Vodafone demonstrated 1Gbps speeds on its 4.5G live network. This is the state-of-the-art of technology in its most evolved state, which is now available to any customer. Vodafone already sells a number of phones readied to achieve these speeds, and it is expected that more models will appear on the market in the coming months.
“This is another milestone in the history of innovation at Vodafone Portugal which, by readying its mobile network for a progressive transition to fifth generation communications, is contributing to significantly improving users’ telecommunications experience by bringing more advanced technology to its customers”, said João Nascimento, CTO of Vodafone Portugal.
Heralded as the technology that will revolutionise the future of telecommunications it is believed that, in addition to connecting people, it will be 5G that enhances communication between machines. The volume of data generated by the Internet of Things (IoT), together with the need for increasingly demanding communications speeds and resilience, are factors that are determining the shift to the new standard.
