KT and Samsung have achieved 1Gbps speed over the air on KT’s 5G commercial network deployed in Seoul. The speed test was conducted using the Galaxy S10 5G and the telco's 3.5GHz frequency on its 5G commercial network. KT's 5G commercial network comprises of Samsung’s 5G NR solutions, which includes a 5G radio and a virtual core (vCore) that supports both 4G LTE and 5G simultaneously.
The Galaxy S10 5G is said to be able to hit speeds of up to 4Gbps. SK Telecom recently said that it could achieve a peak speed of 2.7Gbps by combining 5G and LTE bandwidth. The telco further said that the Triple Aggregation of 5G, LTE and Wi-Fi will enable speeds of up to 4Gbps on the Galaxy S10 5G.
1Gbps 5G speed for end users
Samsung and KT have been jointly developing 5G networks in South Korea. KT's 5G commercial network went on-air in December last year. Since then, the two companies have been focusing on optimizing the 5G network, and have now successfully hit 1Gbps speed. The speed test was performed in real-world outdoor mobile environments, and KT is confident that end users will be able to achieve the same speed on its commercial network.
“Samsung and KT will continue to work closely in collaboration to push beyond the limits of today’s technology and offer a glimpse of the revolutionary world led by 5G,” said Jaeho Jeon, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D, Networks Business at Samsung.
KT has announced that its 5G network will be ready for use in South Korea by the end of this month. The service will initially cover 85 cities across the country, including some major national highway and high-speed railways. The telco plans to expand the coverage to 464 colleges and universities, subways, landmark buildings and mountainous areas across the country.
Meanwhile, Samsung is all set to release the Galaxy S10 5G in South Korea next week. The first 5G-enabled device will make its debut in Samsung's home country on April 5.
