Entel, Ericsson achieve 24 Gbps during Chilean mmWave 5G test

Entel and Ericsson carried out a demonstration of 5G technology in Chile, which managed to reach a record speed in data transfer of more than 24Gbps, the highest that has been achieved in a test in South America. The technological milestone constitutes a relevant advance, which will allow testing the capabilities of 5G technology in an active network to telecommunications operators and other ecosystem partners, such as academic institutions, health professionals, energy, agriculture and industry representatives.

The test, which took place at the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences of the University of Chile, in Santiago, used the 5G Millimeter Test Bench (mmWave) at 28 GHz from Ericsson.

The solution presented considered base stations and device prototypes to show advanced 5G technologies that include massive MIMO, massive Beamforming, distributed MIMO, multi-user MIMO and Beam Tracking. This, together with a multi-gigabit data rate and ultra-low latency, represent requirements that will be key for future use of mobile broadband and industrial use.

For his part, the vice president of Market Corporations of Entel, Julian San Martin, said that 

Ericsson and Entel are already working in a coordinated way to test the design of the future 5G network and training the teams, so that when it is deployed, that process is already accomplished. We are proud to do this test in Santiago because we were able to show an efficient test of this technology for the future, which will allow customers and society in general to experience connectivity that will open doors to countless possibilities.

Nicolás Brancoli, President of Ericsson South America, said:

The test we do in Chile is very relevant for what comes with 5G technology. This technological leap will open possibilities that it is not yet possible to fully dimension. Customers will be able to enjoy new applications, such as augmented reality and 4K video streaming, and industries will benefit from innovative applications of the Internet of Things (IoT), such as intelligent transport and remote medical assistance, which will create big opportunities. We hope that the 5G technology will be launched on the market in 2019 worldwide, and this test is another step to prepare Chile for the next generation of mobile technology.

Meanwhile, Patricio Aceituno, dean of the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences of the University of Chile, said:

As a faculty, we are proud to have been part of this moment, which shows how fast technology is advancing and how to adapt to stay current. It is very important to continue revolutionizing and studying how technology can improve the quality of life of Chileans.

According to the most recent Ericsson Mobility Report , North America is expected to lead the adoption of 5G, since major operators have planned commercial launches from the end of 2018.

Globally, a significant breakout of 5G is expected from 2020. Ericsson expects more than one billion 5G subscribers for mobile broadband by 2023, representing 12% of total mobile device subscriptions.

As with previous mobile access technologies, 5G is expected to be first implemented in dense urban areas with improved mobile broadband and fixed wireless access, which will be the first commercial uses. Other implementations will take place in industries such as automotive, manufacturing, public services and health.

Ericsson leads the 5G innovations worldwide and was the first to launch a combined radio and core for 5G use cases, accelerating the day to 5G with today's networks.

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