Korean companies Samsung Electronics and SK Telecom announced they have carried out a successful demonstration of how 5G technology can improve motor racing experiences for fans.
The demonstration, held at the Korea International Circuit race track, was carried out using Samsung Networks’ end-to-end 5G mmWave solutions, including 5G New Radio (NR) base stations.
While the racing car moved at approximately 130 miles per hour (210Km/hour) on the track, the trial verified the stable performance of live downloads, uploads and handovers between 5G cell sites on the race track. Download speeds reached up to 1 Gbps, demonstrating the capacity for multi-gigabit downloads on a 5G device inside a racing car, using 200 MHz bandwidth of 28 GHz spectrum.
The two companies said that the test showed that millimeter wave technology can unlock 5G’s potential for delivering innovative uses cases and business models, such as new entertainment experiences in motor sport events. For example, they added, cameras built into the cars’ cockpits will be able to stream real-time video data from each car over 5G wireless links, allowing viewers to enjoy vivid scenes of the race from the driver’s point of view. Through virtual reality, augmented reality and 360-degree video streams, racing fans will be able to enjoy the immersive experience of feeling as if they are inside an actual moving car, the companies said.
“5G already opened up a new horizon when the first commercial service started in the first half of 2019 across Korea and the U.S.,” said Jaeho Jeon, executive VP and head of R&D for the networks business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is at the forefront with global operators in bringing 5G benefits to consumers, industries and societies by helping them deliver 5G commercial networks. This trial is a great example of taking a user experience and the racing industry to new heights.”
“5G commercial service means much more than just faster speeds. It is a vital engine in transforming digital landscapes to bring enhanced and new business models that had only lived in our imagination,” said Park Jin-hyo, CTO and head of the ICT R&D Center of SK Telecom. “We will continue to work closely with Samsung in pushing the limits of legacy technology and maximizing the power of the 5G network.”
In September 2017, Samsung achieved what it claimed to be the world’s first 5G handover at 118 miles per hour (190Km/hour) and 1 Gbps speed download in a vehicle moving at 127 miles per hour (205Km/hour) in Korea.
SK Telecom recently claimed to be first mobile operator in the world to exceed the 1 million 5G subscriber mark. This milestone was achieved on August 21. The company’s 5G subscribers currently represent more than 3.5% of its total subscriber base of 28 million.
SK Telecom highlighted that it attracted 1 million 5G subscribers in just 140 days after launching the world’s first 5G smartphone on April 3.
According to SK Telecom’s analysis on 5G subscribers, the average monthly data usage of customers who switched devices from LTE to 5G has increased about 65% from 20.4GB (with LTE technology) to 33.7GB (5G).
