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5 examples of 5G in action

Streaming in Seoul

Taxis, bus drivers, and relieved parents may soon be playing high-quality videos to their passengers while driving through busy city centers. 

A 5G trial in Seoul in February 2018, which involved the streaming of 4K video to and from a moving car, demonstrated the real-world potential for this kind of service.  

During the trial, Ericsson, Intel, and Korea Telecom connected a moving car to a live 5G network as it drove through the South Korean capital's dense urban environment.

5g speeds were impressive – of more than 900 Mbps download, while simultaneously permitting 600 Mbp/s to upload.

To put this in perspective, the current 4G standard tops out at around 100 Mbps when downloading and around half that for uploads. 

Pretoria prepares 

South African telecoms group MTN completed the first outdoor 5G trial on the African continent in May 2018. The field test used Huawei's5G 28 GHz mmWave Customer Premises Equipment at The Fields shopping center in Pretoria.

MTN said the trial reached download speeds of 520 Mbps and uploads of 77 Mbps. 

The trial follows an MTN lab test using Ericsson hardware in Johannesburg in January 2018.

5G Texas trial for AT&T

How does 5G function once it's out of the lab and in the real world?

AT&T, one of the US's four leading telecom providers, has been rolling out 5G trials across the country over the last couple of years. Its biggest yet came last December at homeware store Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas. 

AT&T conducted the trial with its hardware using millimeter-wave spectrum and 5G radio and antenna prototypes, delivering super-fast internet to around 5,000 visitors and customers per day.

Using 5G could improve payment times at shopping centers by enhancing the connectivity of point-of-sale systems, which transfer data over the internet and back-office devices. 

Vodafone's 5G "milestone."

The UK has officially joined the 5G era, with its first major trial of the technology taking place in April 2018. Vodafone, which carried out the test of the 3.4 GHz radio frequency between Newbury and Manchester, marked the occasion as a "major milestone" for the UK telecoms sector. 

Vodafone tested "Massive MIMO" (multiple input and output) technologies, which uses antennae to boost signals and capacity – which is essential for 5G to work. The first results suggest this will allow for a massive expansion in capacity – supporting up to 1,000 more devices per meter than 4G. 

Finnish 5G revolution

Finnish telecoms provider Elisa says it has helped Finland win the race to become the first country on Earth to make 5G mobile internet available to consumers and businesses.

The company has built 5G networks in Tampere, Finland, and Estonia's capital, Tallinn, and says it has already started selling subscriptions. 

To prove the network's capabilities, Finland's Minister of Transport and Communications Anne Berner had a video call with her Estonian counterpart in June.

Berner says Finland wants to be the world leader in 5G technology. 

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