Telefónica and Samsung successfully test fixed wireless access (FWA) with 5G in Germany

Telefónica Deutschland and Samsung Electronics have successfully piloted fixed wireless access (FWA) with 5G in Hamburg, Germany, Telefónica announced this week. The pilot of the 5G took place from December 2018 to February 2019 in the district of Hamm in Hamburg. Private households participated in the free pilot.

The pilot was supported by the Korean technology company Samsung Electronics, which supplied technology that supports the millimetre wave range (26 GHz) and that has already been tested in several countries.

“We are excited to have successfully conducted the trial with Telefónica Deutschland to see how we can bring to life key attributes of 5G FWA technology. Samsung will keep exploring the capabilities of mmWave (26GHz) available across Europe that will unlock near-term use cases powered by 5G for both customers and enterprises” said GY Seo, Senior Vice President, and Head Of Global Sales & Marketing Team, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.

According to Telefónica, 5G frequencies in the 26 GHz range will allow families to surf the internet at the lighting speed of up to one gigabit per second, streaming films in 8K UHD or using typical everyday applications of the highest quality. Telefónica says this high frequency propagates in a similar way to light and the higher the frequency, the more bandwidth is generally available.

Data rates of up to one gigabit were available in the pilot. On the user side, the technology comprises an easy-to-connect receiver (CPE) that connects every standard DSL router and WiFi AP. In places with limited reception, such as buildings with thick walls or metalized window panes, a 5G receiving unit can be installed on the building.

“We can see that the Samsung technology performed brilliantly in the trial. Together with our partner, we at Telefónica Deutschland have successfully demonstrated the use and performance of a new FWA technology. The subsequent analysis of the results will help us to develop a potential business model,” said Cayetano Carbajo Martín, CTO at Telefónica Deutschland.