Ericsson and Japanese telecom giant, SoftBank, are teaming up to test “5G” capabilities in Tokyo.
The joint field trials in Japan’s largest city will reportedly demonstrate ultra-high bit rates and ultra-low latency on a number of frequency bands using Ericsson’s 5G trial system.
The partners said they will test use cases and deployment scenarios to evaluate the performance of potential 5G components.
“As the industries are undergoing rapid transformation, 5G will be an integral component of this movement toward the Networked Society,” Yossi Cohen, president and representative director of Ericsson Japan said. “With this new collaboration we will continue to strengthen our partnership with them.”
Hideyuki Tsukuda, SVP and head of the mobile network unit at Softbank, said the company is interested in 5G as it pertains to machine-type communications.
Earlier this year, Ericsson announced it is teaming with Australia-based telecommunications, media and software company Telstra, to run proof-of-concept tests on machine-type communications “Internet of Things” standards at this year’s Mobile World Congress.
Ericsson has been aggressive in 5G testing, recently deploying a mobile 5G device on the streets of Stockholm, Sweden, and Plano, Texas. The drivable mobile testbed is currently capable of 5.7 gigabits per second downlink speed. The company expects it to be capable of 10 Gbps by the end of the summer.
The Swedish telecom giant has been developing advanced antenna technology with wider bandwidth, shorter transmission time intervals and higher frequencies, as well as radio units developed specifically for 5G.
It is expected that 5G will not be a viable public option until at least 2020.
