(Image Source: Samsung)
Samsung and SK Telecom completed successful network device interoperability tests using both 4G and 5G networks, demonstrating the ability to provide seamless mobile experience during early 5G deployments.
Conducted at Samsung Electronics in Suwon, Korea, the tests applied 3GPP 5G NR standard-based Dual Connectivity technology, also known as ‘E-UTRAN New Radio Dual Connectivity (EN-DC)’ provided by Samsung’s Networks Business.
The companies used Samsung’s commercial 4G and 5G NR end-to-end networks solutions, virtual core supporting simultaneous 4G and 5G, along with Samsung’s first 5G smartphone the Galaxy S10 5G.
Tests hit 2.65 Gbps data speeds on the device, combining 1.5 Gbps in 5G at 3.5 GHz (100 MHz bandwidth) and 1.15 Gbps in LTE at 1.8 GHz, 2.1 GHz, and 2.6 GHz frequencies with 65 MHz bandwidth (all of which SK Telecom has for commercial use, Samsung noted).
Using dual connectivity, Samsung says SK Telecom will be able to increase total transmission data speed by 80 percent. So customers within 5G service coverage can download 2 GB of UHD videos in six seconds, and large format content like 10 GB of 4K VR video in under 30 seconds.
“In the early stages of 5G era, the combined capabilities of 4G and 5G networks are important forces for mobile carriers to maximize the characteristics of the 5G network— ultra-fast speed, low-latency, and massive-connectivity by leveraging widely deployed 4G network coverage,” Samsung said.
