Kazakhtelecom JSC together with Kcell JSC launched a pilot 5G zone on the territory of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Almaty. The companies arranged 5G pilot network coverage in the 3.5GHz range at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, where the AIF 2019 International Investment Forum is held on 27 November 2019. The 5G pilot zone was arranged in compliance with the approved 5G testing plan in Kazakhstan.
The 5G pilot zone has been launched in the so-called C-band range (3.5GHz) in the Non-Standalone (NSA) mode, which means that the 5G base station is connected to the existing LTE network and integrated into the core of the Kcell network.
"Today we have launched another 5G pilot zone on the infrastructure of Kazakhtelecom and Kcell. The guests of the hotel and the International Investment Forum were able to see for themselves the possibilities of 5G technology, make voice and video calls through the 5G network, and see the difference in speed and delays in the 5G networks as compared to the 3G/4G networks. This 5G pilot zone is a continuation of our 5G testing plan. Earlier in October of this year we organized a 5G pilot zone on the territory of Astana Hub on a permanent basis. In addition, we conducted several 5G field tests in Nur-Sultan, Almaty and Almaty region in different radio frequency bands and with the use of different terminal equipment", noted Kuanyshbek Yessekeev, Chairman of the Management Board of Kazakhtelecom JSC.
5G technology is characterized by high data transfer rate (eMBBB), high capacity and ultra-reliable low latency connection (URLLC) and the possibility of mass connection of IoT devices for a variety of tasks.
Currently, there is support for 5G technology on Kcell network equipment. Within the framework of this pilot zone we would like to demonstrate this readiness. 5G is a strategic priority in the development of the company, because in addition to the obvious competitive advantages in the speed of mobile networks, the technology expands our possibilities to solve various business tasks, from digitalization of transport infrastructure to smart cities and industries", said Kaspars Kukelis, Chairman of the Management Board of Kcell JSC.
5G networks will be used both for rendering mobile communication services and Internet access to the public and for IoT cases, smart cities, smart production and other applications. In fact, 5G networks will become the basis for the digital transformation of companies and the development of the digital economy.
"We used 5G NR equipment in the RAN part (AU+RRU combined solution as well as BBU) to develop a pilot 5G NR network in a hotel. This 5G NR pilot network is deployed in the C-band in the most recommended and popular radio frequency range of 3.5 GHz in the world. We have provided integration the 5G NR base station into the existing LTE Kcell network, i.e. the 5G pilot network is deployed in the NSA (Non-Standalone) mode using the existing LTE core network. As terminal equipment we used several types of 5G devices, including 5G smartphone and 5G modem. During the testing we consistently achieved a data transfer rate of 1.2-1.3 Gbit/s, and the average network delays were about 7-8 ms, which complies with the expected results for eMBB and URLLC. This pilot zone is our seventh 5G field test in Kazakhstan. However, Kazakhtelecom is actively studying not only the technical capabilities of 5G, but also other aspects of 5G technology. Besides, we have started to elaboration works on the Concept of 5G developments in Kazakhstan, which considers technical, regulatory, financial and economic, sanitary and epidemiological and other aspects of 5G. Generally, we are ready to launch a commercial 5G pilot zone in the presence of 5G radio frequencies", said Nurlan Meirmanov, Chief Director for Innovations of Kazakhtelecom JSC.