60GHz WiFi Tech
Samsung Electronics announced on Oct. 12 that it successfully developed a 5 times faster next-gen 60GHz Wi-Fi technology.
The wireless communications method using the 60GHz frequency band can deliver download speeds of up to 4.6Gbps or 575MB per second, which is a five-fold increase from the 866Mbps, or 108MB per second currently used in smartphones.
The new method enables users to send unzipped high-definition videos in real time from mobile devices to TVs and to relay a 1GB movie between devices in less than 3 seconds. This speed is almost the same as that needed to transfer files using a USB 3.0 flash drive inserted into a PC.
Currently, wireless LAN services cannot offer fast connection speeds when there are a large number of users in the immediate vicinity, stemming from radio-frequency interference. The strength of the newly-developed technique lies in little radio-frequency interference, as it utilizes the 60GHz frequency band instead of 2.4GHz or 5GHz.
Previously, 60 GHz was difficult to commercialize owing to its tendency to move directly, lose signal over long distances, and fail to penetrate strucutres.
Samsung explained that it is now possible to commercialize 60GHz WiFi by developing communications antennas and utilizing microwave circuit design and high-function modem techniques. The tech giant stressed that they were able to improve the quality of 60GHz Wi-Fi through its development of a technique that allows dozens of devices to connect simultaneously to a network, and a micro beam-forming control technology that optimizes a communications environment in less than 1/3,000th of a second.
The electronics industry anticipates that a wireless LAN standard (802.11ad) using the 60GHz frequency band will be introduced as early as next year. Samsung said that it will help consumers lead smarter lives by applying this technology to next-gen smart devices, medical imaging equipment, communications devices, and smart homes.