Cool Stuff Samsung, SKT 7.5Gbps wireless data

Samsung Electronics and South Korean mobile operator SK Telecom plan to demonstrate next week research into future “5G” wireless and data transmission at 7.55Gbps.
The two companies, which formed a research and development agreement on 5G wireless in October, will show the technology at the Mobile World Congress expo in Barcelona. The annual event, the biggest in the wireless telecommunications industry, begins on Monday.
The transmission will use millimeter wave frequencies, which are generally considered to be those over 6GHz. That’s higher than current mobile phone and Wi-Fi frequencies and brings advantages and disadvantages.
Among the advantages is the high speed that is possible but the disadvantages include poor propagation. Millimeter wave signals generally require an unobstructed transmission path, which means walls, windows and other objects can easily interfere or cut off communications. This is seen in direct-to-home satellite TV systems, which also use millimeter waves at around 11GHz and where the dish needs a clear view of the satellite in the sky.
To help realize the high-speed data, the two companies are employing “3D beamforming” — a technique that involves sensing the location of a smartphone and directing a narrow pencil-like transmission beam toward it. A cellular base station usually transmits signals over a wide area, but with more intelligent antenna systems in 5G wireless that could change.
Cellular carriers and equipment makers are looking at millimeter wave frequency bands to help alleviate crowding in lower frequencies and better serve users in crowded cities. Because millimeter waves are easily attenuated by objects, the same frequencies can be reused in areas close to each other, perhaps separated by a building, without fear of interference. That leads to more efficient use of spectrum.