Conclusion of three-month pilot in Hamburg:5G fixed wireless access from Telefónica Deutschland and Samsung proves successful

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  • Fixed wireless access (‘wireless DSL’) enables a faster broadband connection for homes and small businesses than conventional DSL
  • Pilot with selected O2 households in Hamburg concluded
Telefónica Deutschland and Samsung Electronics have successfully piloted fixed wireless access (FWA) with 5G in Hamburg. The pilot of the 5G gigabit technology took place from December 2018 to February 2019 in the district of Hamm in Hamburg. A number of private households participated in the free pilot.
Credits: Rolf Otzipka
Photo: Rolf Otzipka
Surfing the internet at the lighting speed of up to one gigabit per second, streaming films in 8K UHD or using typical everyday applications of the highest quality – this new customer experience was made possible thanks to a wireless connection for private households over never-before-field-tested 5G frequencies in the 26 GHz range. The great thing about this high frequency, which propagates in a similar way to light, is the data rate that can be achieved: the higher the frequency, the more bandwidth is generally available. The pilot was supported by the Korean technology company Samsung Electronics, which supplied technology that supports the millimetre wave range (26 GHz) and that has already been tested in several countries.
Credits: Rolf Otzipka
Photo: Rolf Otzipka
The combination of newly developed technology and special software enables high transmission speeds of several gigabits per second over the ‘last mile’. Data rates of up to one gigabit were available in the pilot. On the user side, the technology essentially comprises an easy-to-connect receiver (CPE) that connects every standard DSL router and WiFi AP. In places with limited reception, such as buildings with thick walls or metallised window panes, a robust 5G receiving unit can be installed on the building. This joint pilot project undertaken by Telefónica Deutschland and Samsung Electronics proves that an attractive alternative to current broadband technology (DSL) exists for private households and smaller mid-range businesses in Germany. The pilot aimed to show whether homes and businesses can receive high-quality gigabit connections offering an outstanding customer experience and without the costly and time-consuming work involved in laying fibre-optic cables.
Credits: Telefónica Deutschland
Cayetano Carbajo Martín
“We can see that the Samsung technology performed brilliantly in the trial. Together with our partner, we at Telefónica Deutschland have successfully demonstrated the use and performance of a new FWA technology. The subsequent analysis of the results will may help us to develop a potential business model,” said Cayetano Carbajo Martín, CTO at Telefónica Deutschland. “We are excited to have successfully conducted the trial with Telefónica Deutschland to see how we can bring to life key attributes of 5G FWA technology. Samsung will keep exploring the capabilities of mmWave (26GHz) available across Europe that will unlock near-term use cases powered by 5G for both customers and enterprises” said GY Seo, Senior Vice President and Head Of Global Sales & Marketing Team, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.