The live demo, which took place in Istanbul, is the result of a MoU signed by the two companies in February of this year
Turkish carrier Turkcell and South Korean company Samsung have carried out a live trial of 5G technology in Istanbul.
The two companies said that the 5G “experience zones” featured ultra-high-definition live streaming, cloud gaming, 360-degree camera and virtual reality streaming by using Samsung’s 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) solutions, combined with Turkcell’s network infrastructure.
Samsung’s 5G FWA solutions have been tested at Istanbul Technical University and in Kadikoy, a dense province of Istanbul, in addition to Meltepe Plaza.
“We reached record speeds in one of the world’s first 5G tests, which took place under the roof of Turkcell. To lay the groundwork for Turkey to be a major player in the field, we are engaged in scientific cooperation with universities and collaborating with the world’s technology giants, all aimed at making Turkey one of the first countries to implement 5G,” said Turkcell CEO Kaan Terzioglu.
“This live 5G experience is the concrete example of the MoU we signed with Samsung in South Korea in February,” he went on. “Today, with 5G, we have shown that the latest generation of high-speed wireless access is now possible for our customers. 5G does not only happen to be a communication technology, but is a total transformation, the digitalization of sectors such as automotive, agriculture, health, and the transformation of industry 4.0.”
“We are one of the world’s leading operators and we are trying to provide a better network experience with the technologies of the future. When setting up our 4.5G infrastructure, we thought about the future of 5G and set up a compatible system. Our superior infrastructure makes 5G possible in our country. Through collaborations with technology giants like Samsung we will continue our efforts on the commercialization of next-generation technologies and 5G in Turkey,” Turkcell CTO Gediz Sezgin said.
In February 2018, Samsung unveiled what it claimed to be the world’s first complete commercial 5G FWA solutions, comprised of 5G radio (access unit and virtualized RAN), 5G routers and a next-generation core. The 5G FWA solutions will enable end-users to have gigabit speed broadband services without laying down optical fiber. In August, Samsung announced that it will invest $22 billion in four of emerging technologies – 5G, AI, automotive electronics components and biopharmaceuticals globally, over the next three years.
The South Korean conglomerate noted the investment would also serve to create 40,000 jobs across its global footprint. In South Korea, Samsung says its investment will create some 700,000 additional jobs “in related industries and businesses.”
In September, Turkcell signed a cooperation deal with Nokia for the development of technologies including the internet of things , smart automobile technologies, online medicine and automation.