YOU ARE AT:Mobile MinuteSamsung readies 60 GHz Wi-Fi for 2015 (RCR Mobile Minute)

Samsung readies 60 GHz Wi-Fi for 2015 (RCR Mobile Minute)

Samsung is trumpeting a Wi-Fi breakthrough that it says will offer Wi-Fi speeds that could rival the fastest fiber speeds available today. Using the 60 GHz spectrum band and beamforming technology, Samsung says it has achieved Wi-Fi speeds of up to 575 megabytes per second. That’s ten times faster than the speeds obtained by devices that support 802.11ac Wi-Fi, the fastest commercially available Wi-Fi technology. 802.11ac offers 433 megabits-per-second (or about 54 megabytes per second) per band. While access points may support multiple bands, user devices typically support just one.

The speeds reported by Samsung would enable users to download a 1 GB video file in less than three seconds, potentially putting superfast Wi-Fi into competition with the high-speed broadband offered by AT&T and Verizon.

Samsung hopes to have new Wi-Fi devices on the market by next year, and plans to deploy superfast Wi-Fi in home entertainment systems and medical devices as well as in smartphones. The company did not say whether it will produce the Wi-Fi chips for the new devices, but earlier this month Samsung did announce a $14.5 billion investment in a new semiconductor plant in South Korea.

Although Samsung plays in many markets, mobile devices became the company’s most important product as it rocketed to the No. 1 position in smartphone sales. Recently, Samsung’s margins in mobile have been squeezed by competition from Apple in the developed markets and from Chinese manufacturers in other markets. A breakthrough Wi-Fi technology could help reverse what has become a troubling trend for Samsung.

“We are seeing consumer interest in Samsung slide across most all the segments we track, including [smartphones], tablets, laptops, IoT, and appliances,” said analyst John Feland of Argus Insights, which uses social media to track and predict device sales. Feland said that in the world’s largest market, Samsung is losing ground. “Our results from China show consistent quarterly drops in consumer interest, well below local brands,” he said.

In other news from China, China Mobile has signed a major 4G contract with Nokia. For more on that see the video below.
http://youtu.be/FowGdCytBsE

ABOUT AUTHOR

Martha DeGrasse
Martha DeGrassehttp://www.nbreports.com
Martha DeGrasse is the publisher of Network Builder Reports (nbreports.com). At RCR, Martha authored more than 20 in-depth feature reports and more than 2,400 news articles. She also created the Mobile Minute and the 5 Things to Know Today series. Prior to joining RCR Wireless News, Martha produced business and technology news for CNN and Dow Jones in New York and managed the online editorial group at Hoover’s Online before taking a number of years off to be at home when her children were young. Martha is the board president of Austin's Trinity Center and is a member of the Women's Wireless Leadership Forum.