Samsung Electronics Australia today announced that it has successfully completed its first 5G virtualised RAN (vRAN) trial on 26GHz with TPG Telecom, a leading mobile operator in Australia, following the commencement of tests earlier this year. The scope of their collaboration is now set to increase, with TPG engaging Samsung to expand its trial coverage in the operator’s network.

This brings TPG and Samsung Networks closer to offering Australian customers access to competitive connection speeds for 5G, and further showcases Samsung’s commitment to networks and 5G infrastructure in Australia.

This initial trial, which was announced in July this year, was the first trial on 5G vRAN and integrated mmWave solutions in 26GHz frequency in Australia. It was carried out on a cluster of sites attached to Samsung’s virtualised Core at TPG Telecom’s Innovation Lab and field in Glebe, with Samsung’s 5G solutions including vRAN and integrated mmWave product — Compact Macro. This high-powered, lightweight and compact solution, which brings together a baseband, radio and antenna in a single form-factor, can be easily installed on the sides of buildings as well as utility poles for the swift build-out of 5G networks. Moreover, the company’s commercial vRAN on mmWave is already deployed in global markets, including Japan, Korea and the U.S., and it has the capacity to support multi-gigabit speeds, while offering transformational 5G mobile experiences.

Through the trial, TPG and Samsung have successfully tested various scenarios designed to simulate the real-life user experience when connected to TPG’s 5G network, using Samsung’s cutting-edge 5G solutions. The trial resulted in speeds with a peak user throughput of 2.3Gbps using 400MHz of spectrum on 26GHz and demonstrated over 4Gbps in cell throughput with Samsung’s Multi-User, Multiple-Input, Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) technology. The trial also achieved a steady rate above 1Gbps user throughput in non-line-of-sight scenarios approximately 1km away.

“By combining our spectrum assets with smart engineering, we are able to achieve far greater spectral efficiency than what we have seen from others in the industry,” said TPG Telecom Executive General Manager Mobile and Fixed Networks, Barry Kezik.

“This is a great result and shows that innovative engineering and smart network design can help extend our reach, while also delivering great speeds and an excellent experience for customers.”

Commenting on the successful trial, Garry McGregor, Vice President, Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics Australia, said: “This is a significant step forward for the Samsung Networks business in Australia, towards realising the full potential of 5G and reshaping the value of mobile experiences for users and enterprises alike.”

“The goal of this trial was to test the capabilities of Samsung’s 5G solutions, including its cutting-edge 5G vRAN, in a range of settings. We have now successfully achieved that, which presents us with the exciting opportunity of continuing to elevate and support 5G network infrastructure in this country. Successfully deploying and conducting the trial even with the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, were a real achievement and show the commitment from both TPG and Samsung to delivering best in class 5G infrastructure.”