Czech mobile network operator (MNO) Vodafone has demonstrated 5G technology as one of its roles as a tech partner at the International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary.
The MNO has used the city to unveil new services before. In 2010 it was one of the first locations where the operator switched on its Red-branded 3G network, while in 2013 it was the venue for the premiere of Vodafone’s 4G LTE network.
Mobilenet.cz reports that with ever growing demands for high capacity bandwidth-hungry applications putting pressure even on 4G networks, Vodafone is planning for 5G, demoing 1.84Gbps transmission speeds, using Huawei’s 64×64 MIMO configuration and 100MHz in the 3.5GHz band, ahead of a planned commercial launch of the latest generation mobile service in the first quarter of 2019. Vodafone reportedly paid more than CZK200,000 (USD9,000) to the Czech Telecommunications Office for a two-month test licence. It notes too that next year, the regulator intends to auction off key frequencies in the 700MHz and 3.5GHz bands, which can be used by operators exclusively for 5G.