The test, which took place in Zurich demonstrated virtual reality and 360-degree panoramic live video, among other features
Swiss telco Sunrise and Chinese vendor Huawei have announced the completion of an extensive 5G test in Switzerland.
Using cloud-based core network end-to-end applications, 5G performance was demonstrated via virtual reality, 360-degree panoramic live video, and twelve parallel 4K video streams on 65-inch UHD TVs, the European telco said.
During the test, download data throughput reached 3.28 Gbit/s in the 3.5 GHz (band 42) frequency band. Sunrise said that a special network configuration, dedicated to Switzerland (3.5 GHz, band 42), was set up and used in the tests and 5G lap at Sunrise headquarters in Zurich.
Additionally, four tons of equipment, two cranes and 50 kW of additional power (100% renewable energy) were needed for the 5G lab setup. The preparation work to execute the 5G trial started several weeks ago, the telco said.
Sunrise continues to drive its quality strategy and now aims to set new benchmarks with 5G.
“5G will be a game changer, and, to me, it’s another important step up. Being the leading 4G provider, we naturally have high ambitions for the fifth generation of mobile phone technology as well. Once the world’s toughest NIS regulations are finally relaxed and the spectrum is allocated in a competitive way, we will be able to do it and set new benchmarks with 5G yet again,” said Sunrise CEO Olaf Swantee.
“We have already demonstrated 5G at various global events, but what we managed to show here with Sunrise is unprecedented and impressively demonstrates the performance capability of 5G,” said Xiao Haijun, CEO of Huawei Switzerland.
During the recent 5G trial, the following core network end-to-end applications, including cloud-based applications, were demonstrated:
-The real capacity and performance of a 5G network was demonstrated by the cloud-based wireless transmission of twelve parallel 4K video streams, each at about 40-50 Mbit/s, for a total broadband requirement of up to 750 Mbit/s.
– Virtual reality applications demonstrated the ultra-fast network latency under real conditions and the overall stability of the 5G network.
– 360° live video from two camera locations also confirmed the ultra-fast network latency under real conditions and the capacity of the 5G network.
Sunrise Telecom and Huawei had signed a strategic partnership in September 2016, which called for the vendor to supply solutions covering information technology infrastructure, communications technology networks, field operations and spare parts management. Once the contract is executed, Huawei will provide an ICT Converged Operation solution to manage IT and CT networks along with process evolution, and resources and tools designed to help the Swiss operator improve operations and progress on its digital transformation goals.
In 2012, Huawei was selected by Sunrise as its sole managed services partner for its fixed and mobile network.
Rival operator Swisscom is also working for the future deployment of 5G technologies. Last month, the Swiss operator selected Ericsson for the deployment of Gigabit LTE from 2018, and 5G from 2020.
The deal also stipulates the development of innovative enterprise use cases built on massive machine type communication (MTC) and critical MTC in fields such as factory automation, smart grids, intelligent mobility and digital health.
Under the terms of the agreement, Ericsson said it aims to transform Swisscom’s mobile operations using its full stack telco cloud solution including network slicing capabilities.
Both Sunrise and Swisscom have recently criticised Switzerland’s regulation for being very strict compared to other European markets.
