Romanian State officials and the media had the opportunity to experience the latest advances in 5G technology and witness the benefits it will provide for the various industries through several use cases. The new capabilities, features and use cases of 5G are expected to accelerate the Digital Transformation of industries and the transition to the Networked Society, once the technology becomes commercially available in 2020, according to the current international agenda.
The trial demonstrated 5G capabilities over a prototype test bed, including tests on speed, latency and beam forming, achieving aggregate speeds of up to 24 Gbps, over 60 times more than the current local highest commercial 4G speed, with an indicative latency of at least half of what is seen in current mobile networks.
"5G is enthusiastically awaited not only here, locally, but at Group level, too," said Miroslav Majoros, CEO, Telekom Romania. "Besides its superior attributes, more importantly, this technology, will create a shift in mind-set for the entire society. It opens the door for immense new possibilities for our customers, for the way they live and work. High speed, mobility, security, intelligent devices, they all have some limitations today, but 5G will give a new perspective and solutions to these current challenges. We are testing it now, before its commercial launch, because we want to be ready to provide all these new experiences to our customers when the moment comes and them to be ready to make the best of it."
On his turn, Arun Bansal, SVP and Head of Ericsson in Europe and Latin America, said: "Today's demonstration, the first of its kind in South Eastern Europe, provides a glimpse into the future and how 5G will enable people, industries and things to connect on an unprecedented scale, bringing with it a whole new world of devices and services. It is also a key milestone in the extensive collaboration between Telekom Romania and Ericsson to ensure Romanian people and industries can soon enjoy the benefits of 5G."
The scope of the demonstration performed today by Telekom Romania and Ericsson comprised of a dedicated 5G prototype platform, where Ultra high speeds of up to 24 Gbps were achieved, using advanced antenna techniques.