PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Intel, Korea Telecom and Toyota decided last June to install a commercial 5G test network in Korea for the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, which drew to a close Sunday. The companies said the system — made up of 22 5G links spanning 10 different sites — delivered 3,800 terabytes of data during the two-week event.
The companies involved in the test effort built four main use cases to show off the technology, including a system that used hundreds of cameras to capture ice-skating athletes, footage that was then broadcast in real time to virtual reality viewers, according to fiercewireless.com. Viewers “could use the setup to select different locations from which to view the action and could also pause and replay specific parts of the performance.” Other test cases used connected Toyota automobiles and transmitted high-resolution pictures of cross-country skiers
KT said that the test paves the way for the launch of commercial 5G services, based on the 3GPP’s recently ratified 5G standard, in the country by the first quarter of next year, according to the same article.
Here in the US, Verizon says it will be the first to deploy fixed and mobile 5G. “We’re going to be first and we’re committed to being first,” Chris Schmidt, executive director of device technology at Verizon Communications told lightreading on Monday at this year’s Mobile Wireless Conference in Barcelona. Like KT, Verizon will be using the initial 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G New Radio (NR) specification. Verizon will be moving to mobile “as soon as possible,” Schmidt said, but exactly when will depend on the device makers, according to the same article. Several chipmakers have said that they will deliver a 5G modems in 2018.
