Vodafone, Qualcomm and Ericsson complete 5G mmWave trials in the UK

• The successful trial paves the way for high-speed and high-capacity connectivity services in complex scenarios, such as Fixed Wireless Access for home broadband and addressing mobile network congestion in busy locations.
• The Fixed Wireless Access trial (wireless home broadband) took place in Newbury. Here, mmWave technology is used to provide fibre-over-the-air experience for Vodafone customers, delivering home broadband connectivity peak speeds of up to 4 Gbps.
• Second test scenario focused on providing enhanced capacity to Vodafone customers in crowded public venues such as stadiums, concerts, and transport hubs, where mmWave technology can help in alleviating network congestion. The trio of partners successfully achieved 2.8 Gbps downlink peak speed at a London football ground with a capacity of 20,000.  

Vodafone, Qualcomm Technologies Inc. and Ericsson have successfully demonstrated the benefits of Millimetre wave (mmWave) through two trials in the UK.

5G mmWave technology uses a higher frequency than the airwaves that connect our devices today, meaning it offers faster data speeds, increased capacity, reduced latency, and enhanced network performance. The trials made use of Ericsson’s AIR (antenna-integrated radio) 5322 and Baseband 6651 technology, as well as various devices powered by the Snapdragon® X65 5G Modem-RF System.

mmWave frequencies also enable more devices to be connected simultaneously without experiencing network congestion and present a future platform for innovative applications and services.

With data consumption increasing more than 30% year-on-year due to the increasing number of devices connected to the network, and consumers using more data rich applications on their smartphones, there is an on-going risk of network congestion. Vodafone is exploring how 5G high-band frequency spectrum can help improve customer experience.

Transforming the mobile network to offer fibre-like speeds

The first trial focused on how the higher download and upload speeds of mmWave spectrum can help deliver fibre-like speeds and home broadband services over the airwaves without the need for extensive underground infrastructure deployment. Below are some key findings from the Newbury location using full spectrum bandwidth (800 MHz of mmWave spectrum).

Within 100 metres of the mast, the devices (from Askey and ZTE and a MiFi from Netgear, powered by the Snapdragon X65 5G Modem-RF System) were able to achieve peak download speeds up to 4 Gbps and 500 Mbps in upload. At 400 metre range, the peak download speeds were 2.3 Gbps and 200 Mbps in upload. At the edge of the coverage zone (up to 700m), the peak download speed was 500 Mbps. Latency was found to be 4-5 times lower than existing 5G capabilities.  

The trial also demonstrated a higher level of data upload to the network. In addition to the home broadband use case, the higher upload speeds could be used to wirelessly connect cameras and broadcasting equipment to provide a more cost effective and flexible solution for media companies to cover events that might not be feasible today.

Reducing network congestion in hotspots

The second trial took place in a London football stadium, to address network congestion. With a stadium capacity of 20,000 people, the club’s fans can often experience network congestion due to the large, concentrated number of devices trying to connect at the same time.

The higher capacity of mmWave spectrum can help connect more people simultaneously, to improve customer experience. Using a commercial Snapdragon powered smartphone, the trial registered peak download speeds up to 2.8 Gbps for unobstructed views to the mast at various points, and even 500 Mbps for locations that didn’t have a direct line-of-sight.

Besides high-capacity use cases, mmWave technology would be ideal for low latency use cases for business customers such as factory automations, robotics and automobiles, remote assisted training, and surgery.

Andrea Dona, Chief Network Officer, Vodafone UK, said: “While mmWave is a niche technology for mobile network operators in the UK, the uplift to customer experience will be incredible. With installations on a small number of sites, millions of people could benefit multiple times per week. This trial demonstrates how we can significantly improve customer experience by strategically targeting today’s challenges.”

Dino Flore, Vice President, Technology, Qualcomm Europe, Inc. said: “We are excited to collaborate with Vodafone and Ericsson to showcase the transformative potential of mmWave technology. The trials in the UK demonstrate the significant capacity and speed improvements that mmWave offers, enabling ultra-fast and reliable connectivity experiences, whether at home or in a stadium.”

Evangelia Tzifa, Chief Technology Officer, Networks & Managed Services, Ericsson UK and Ireland, said: “Our successful trials with Vodafone and Qualcomm demonstrate the potential of mmWave technology to revolutionize connectivity experiences. With the ability to deliver fiber-like speeds, and support for massively dense traffic environments, such as stadiums, mmWave opens the door to transformative connectivity experiences for mobile users, as well as new advanced use cases across various sectors.”

Moving up the spectrum frequencies

Telecommunications companies generally use a wide range of spectrum frequencies to connect devices to the wider network. The characteristics of each frequency vary, therefore the benefits and considerations also do.

The higher the frequency of the spectrum in use, the more data it can carry (both volume and speed), but there is a compromise on coverage distance. Lower frequency spectrum carries less data, but it offers greater coverage and is better able to penetrate obstacles.

mmWave is higher frequency than anything which connects consumer devices in the UK today. Ofcom is currently preparing to award the spectrum.

Vodafone believes mmWave frequency spectrum can be utilised in a small number of locations which would have a significant impact on customer experience. Thanks to its characteristics, it can alleviate network congestion in busy areas (for example, the concourse in train stations) and also connect high-volume data use cases (for example, fixed wireless access for home broadband). In both of these examples, the equipment can be strategically placed to negate the impact of obstacles on the airwaves and connect a significant number of people simultaneously.