1 GB Movie Can Be Uploaded in about 10 Seconds
Samsung Electronics announced on Oct. 15 that it has pushed the limits of 5G technology by reaching upload speeds of 711 Mbps in a recent lab trial using aggregated bands of mmWave spectrum. The trial was jointly carried out with Verizon and Qualcomm at a lab located in Texas.
The company said 700+ Mbps is the equivalent of a one GB movie uploaded in about 10 seconds. It is more than twice as fast as current peak upload speeds.
According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, the domestic 5G upload transmission speed was 83.93 Mbps as of the first half of this year. Samsung Electronics' upload speed (711 Mbps) is more than 8 times the domestic transmission speed.
“Our mmWave build is a critical differentiator, even as we drive towards massive and rapid expansion of our 5G service using our newly acquired mid-band spectrum, we are doubling down on our commitment to mmWave spectrum usage,” said Adam Koeppe, senior vice president of technology planning for Verizon. “You will see us continue to expand our mmWave footprint to deliver game-changing experiences for the densest parts of our network and for unique enterprise solutions. We had over 17K mmWave cell sites at the end of last year and are on track to add 14K more in 2021, with over 30K sites on air by the end of this year, and we’ll keep building after that,” said Koeppe.
Previous multi-gigabit speeds have been recorded on downloads before, but this is the fastest speed the companies have been able to reach while uploading data to the network. Speeds approaching those seen in this recent trial will pave the way for uploading videos, pictures and data to the cloud, social media accounts, or sharing directly with others in densely populated venues like downtown streets, concerts and football stadiums. Whether using a traditional mobile link or fixed wireless access, these speeds will also allow students working from home or employees in a distributed workforce the ability to upload and synchronize massive files, complete simultaneous editing of documents in the cloud, and collaborate with colleagues effortlessly.
These breakthrough uplink speeds will also drive new private network use cases for enterprises. Faster uplink speeds can enable quality control solutions for manufacturers using artificial intelligence to identify tiny product defects in products visible only through ultra HD video feeds. Other upload-intensive solutions such as multi-location, massive security video capabilities and augmented reality-centered customer experiences will also get a boost with these increased speeds.
“In collaboration with Qualcomm and Verizon, we are excited to reach these ultra-fast uplink speeds, which will enable differentiated 5G experiences and deliver more immersive mobile services for all users,” said Lee June-hee, executive vice president and head of R&D, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung looks forward to harnessing the full potential of 5G through new breakthroughs that will bring truly transformative benefits to people around the world and across the enterprise landscape.”