Vodafone conducts live 5G trial with nokia and University of Technology, Sydney

The next generation technology is not expected to be rolled out for years to come but it holds the promise of supporting a dramatically more digital dependent world. The future of 5G was described as a fundamental leap forward by Vodafone Chief Technology Officer Kevin Millroy.

The trial was carried out in front of media, students and staff at UTS who witnessed a speed test and potential applications of 5G including the use of virtual reality and robotics. The trial comes hot on the heels of rival Telstra which showcased its first 5G trials last month.

Using 200 MHz of spectrum, the Vodafone test produced speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second (Gbps), the company said in a statement, pointing out you could download an entire TV series in less than 10 seconds.

The telco also expects latency on the 5G network to be as low as a single millisecond (ms) compared to 30ms or more over 4G technologies.

Despite initial rollouts expected to begin in high-density, urban areas in a few years time, global standards for the metrics that will define the 5G network are yet to be determined.

Regardless of the specifics, the 5G network will offer significantly faster speeds and lower latency — a shorter time interval between sending and receiving data — than its predecessor.

The introduction of the fifth generation network is predicted to offer speeds as high as 10 gigabits per second, which is 100 times faster than the current 4G network. It could even provide speeds as high as 20 gigabits per second

This speed will offer a whole new plethora of opportunities in regards to online streaming and the “internet of things” (IoT) which will be crucial for things like self driving cars.

“5G will to propel a technological revolution,” Mr Millroy said. “With IoT promising to change all of our lives, it calls for a technology which can handle an immense amount of simultaneous connections, far greater than the capabilities of 4G networks.”

Vodafone’s 4G network will still be around for a long time but the company is keen to show that it is readying its infrastructure for the future.

“We see compounding annual data growth rates of around 40 per cent, which we expect will skyrocket as more everyday things become connected to the internet,” Mr Millroy said.

“While our 4G network is better than ever, and is continually improving, at these growth rates, the industry is searching for a solution to support higher volumes of data traffic.

“5G will enable our customers to use more data in more ways, at faster speeds than ever before.”

Nokia’s Managing Director Oceania, Ray Owen, stressed the significance the advent of 5G will have on industry by opening up new capabilities and opportunities.

“5G is the next generation of radio systems and network architecture that will enable significant new use cases, new business opportunities and new ways for people to benefit from communications,” Mr Owen said.

“It won’t happen overnight, but 5G is a change that will ultimately impact every industry.”

Earlier in the year, Telstra unveiled its 5G plans before Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Telstra networks group managing director Mike Wright said the telco aimed to deliver its 5G network by 2020 and said the company would use the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast to test it.

The trials may not necessarily involve finished smartphones, however, as manufacturers might not yet be ready for the technology.

Originally published as Vodafone conducts live 5G trial