The fast speed will be able to support a range of new low-latency, high-bandwidth services, such as high-speed video downloads, mission-critical or virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications. The service, which was showcased at Elisa’s flagship store in Helsinki, is expected to be implemented in 2021.
The milestone was achieved using Nokia’s 5G mmWave technology and Qualcomm Technologies’ 5G smartphone form factor test devices over Elisa’s commercial 5G network. The high speed enables more high-bandwidth and latency-sensitive enterprise services, such as remotely controlled devices for industrial needs or mission-critical applications.
The solution will allow subscribers to enjoy VR/AR experiences offered to audiences in massive stadium concerts, downloading 4K video content or triple-A games in a matter of seconds, as well as enabling enhanced capacity fixed wireless access connectivity as a fibre broadband alternative.
The base station utilised two Nokia AirScale radios, each using 800 MHz of commercial millimeter wave 5G spectrum at 26 GHz. These provided connectivity to two 5G smartphone form factor test devices powered by a Qualcomm® Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System featuring second-generation Qualcomm QTM525 mmWave antenna modules, with each device reaching 4 Gbps peak speeds from the base station.
Sami Komulainen, Executive Vice President, Production at Elisa, said: “This is an important development and another step in our efforts to bring the fastest speeds and best 5G experiences to our customers. Elisa was the first in Finland and amongst first in the world to deploy 5G. Reaching 8Gbps is a natural step in our 5G development and we want to explore the possibilities 5G offers and push the technology further to benefit our customers.”
Enrico Salvatori, senior VP and President, Qualcomm Europe, added, "The throughputs achieved show the true potential for mmWave deployments and we are excited to continue collaborating with industry leaders to make 5G mmWave a commercial reality.”
