LG U+, Huawei Complete Large Scale 5G Pre-commercial Test in Seoul

During the 4th Global 5G Event, LG U+ partnered with Huawei to complete large-scale 5G network test in a pre-commercial environment in Gangnam District, Seoul.

This network consists of both 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz base stations. The test also helped to successfully verify the technologies of IPTV 4K Video and many other future-proof commercial 5G services. High-speed mobility, dual connectivity, and inter-cell handovers (under continuous networking conditions) were also validated.

The test results returned average data rates of 1 Gbps over the low band and more than 5 Gbps for dual connectivity over high and low bands. In a typical dense urban area, successful verification of the 5G end-to-end (E2E) solution indicated Huawei's gradual maturity in advanced preparation for the imminent commercial deployment of 5G.

As a top global operator in a well-developed MBB region, LG U+ is firmly committed to rapidly providing an excellent user experience. With a keen focus on Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), the 5G pre-commercial test based on Huawei E2E 5G devices was implemented in a continuous ring topology. A peak data rate of 20 Gbps and an average data rate of more than 5 Gbps were achieved through dual connectivity over 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz.

These impressive rates were combined with inter-cell handovers to produce stable results. Elsewhere, a 5G tour bus delivered 5G-based IPTV 4K, and a VR drone was demonstrated in the ‘5G for All’ experience room at the LG U+ headquarters, which required data rates ranging from 20 Mbps to 100 Mbps. For mobile scenarios, a glitch-free superior user experience demonstrated Huawei's readiness for 5G networks.

During this event, Huawei also showcased the combination of a VR drone designed by Huawei Wireless X Labs and the world's first 5G customer premise equipment (CPE) over 3.5 GHz. The CPE is compact, lightweight, and offers high performance, which can support a throughput of up to 1.5 Gbps from a drone at an altitude of over 100m.

Kim Dae Hee, Vice President of LG U+ 5G Strategy Unit, said: "The world's first large-scale joint 5G pre-commercial test indicated a significant breakthrough in 5G. We believe that Huawei is set to help LG U+ implement the world’s first Commercial 5G network over 3.5 GHz"

Zhou Yuefeng, Huawei Wireless Product Line CMO, said: "In the Gangnam District of Korea, we have successfully validated the 5G pre-commercial network and released the world's first 3.5 GHz CPE. This demonstrates that Huawei will maintain its capability to provide competitive E2E 5G network products in 2018. LG U+ and Huawei will continue to conduct further research into 5G technologies and build a robust E2E industry ecosystem to achieve business success in the upcoming 5G era."