Over the past year, we have been hearing quite a bit about wireless 5G technology and their tests. Most of those tests have been carried out in stationary and controlled lab environments. But now, Samsung has demonstrated a working 5G technology on a moving train by showing internet speeds of 1.7Gbps.
Samsung Electronics in partnership with Japanese telecommunications operator KDDI recently demonstrated the fifth-generation network on a Japanese high-speed moving train traveling at over 100 kmph (over 60 mph). On Friday, the two companies, which have been rolling out joint projects in the field since 2015, said they successfully observed data transmission speed of 1.7 Gbps in the demonstration conducted in Japan.
The companies said that they could download an 8K-quality video via a 5G router installed onboard. In addition, a recorded 4K video shot from a camera installed on the train was also uploaded in the demonstration.
“The demonstration leveraged capabilities driven by 5G, such as high throughput, low latency and massive connections, which verified potential services that would be highly beneficial to passengers and operators of high-speed trains,” Samsung said.
KDDI says that this will “pave the way for a vastly improved onboard wifi, superior passenger infotainment and increased security and analytics.
Talking about revolutionizing trains through 5G technology, KDDI’s Senior Managing Executive Officer Yoshiaki Uchida said, “With 5G expected to bring railway services to a whole new dimension, the success of today’s demonstration in everyday locations such as a train and a train station is an important milestone indicating 5G commercialization is near.”
“To fulfill our aim to launch 5G by 2020, KDDI will continue exploring real-life scenario experiments for diverse 5G use and business cases together with Samsung,” Yoshiaki added.
The tests were carried out on a 1.5km stretch of track between October 17 and 19 in the city of Saitama, Japan, near Tokyo.
