SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM) and Samsung Electronics will demonstrate 7.55Gbps data transmission speed using millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency bands at the Mobile World Congress 2015 to be held in Barcelona, Spain from March 2.

‘3D Beamforming’, an antenna technology that supports high-speed data transmission, will be applied to demonstrate the record-high speed of 7.55Gbps. The technology compensates high propagation loss, which arises with the use of millimeter-wave frequencies, by producing a pencil beam and steering the direction of radio signals.

So far, millimeter-wave frequency bands were not generally accepted as a means for cellular communication due to high propagation loss. However, due to saturation of frequency bands below 6GHz used today for mobile telecommunications, mobile operators are making strenuous efforts to develop new technologies that allow for the utilization of the ultra-high frequency bands to realize 5G, the next-generation network system.

In addition to millimeter-wave 3D Beamforming technology, the two companies will also show the ‘Full Dimension MIMO’ that utilizes tens to hundreds of antennas, greatly surpassing the maximum of eight antennas defined in the current LTE-Advanced standardization.

SK Telecom and Samsung aim to further solidify their technological leadership in the area of 5G through the demonstration. The two parties also plan to strengthen their cooperation for the development of key 5G technologies to earn the title of the world’s first commercialization of 5G in 2020. In October 2014, SK Telecom and Samsung signed a Memorandum of Understanding for joint research in 5G network technologies and new 5G services.

“Samsung Electronics has built the most advanced 4G LTE telecommunications infrastructure in the world by working closely with other Korean companies,” said Cheun Kyung-whoon, Executive Vice President and IoT Solution Team Leader in Digital Media & Communications R&D Center, Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to lead the global mobile industry by focusing on the development of 5G technologies through strengthened cooperation with our partners.”

“SK Telecom is delighted to demonstrate the key 5G technology with Samsung Electronics,” said Choi Jin-sung, Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate R&D Center at SK Telecom. “We will make ceaseless efforts to develop innovative network technologies that will lead us to the new era of 5G marked by infinite possibilities.” 

About SK Telecom

SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM, KSE: 017670), established in 1984, is Korea’s largest telecommunications company with more than 28 million mobile subscribers, accounting for over 50% of the market. The company reached KRW 17.164 trillion in revenue in 2014. As the world’s first company to commercialize CDMA, CDMA 2000 1x, CDMA EV-DO and HSDPA networks, SK Telecom launched the nation’s first LTE service in July 2011. SK Telecom also became the world’s first mobile carrier to commercialize 150Mbps LTE-Advanced in June 2013 and 225Mbps LTE-Advanced in June 2014 through Carrier Aggregation(CA). In line with its efforts to swiftly move towards the next-generation mobile network system, or 5G, it successfully commercialized 300Mbps tri-band LTE-A CA. As of December 2014, the company has over 16.7 million LTE and LTE-Advanced subscribers. Based on its strength in network operations business, SK Telecom is seeking new growth engines in areas of platform, Big Data and convergence business. For more information, please visit www.sktelecom.com or email to press@sktelecom.com.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies, redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, printers, medical equipment, network systems and semiconductors. We are also leading in the Internet of Things space through, among others, our Digital Health and Smart Home initiatives. We employ 307,000 people across 84 countries. To discover more, please visit our official website at www.samsung.com and our official blog at global.samsungtomorrow.com