SK Telecom and Samsung have announced plans to explore the potential of millimetre wave (mmWave) as a candidate 5G technology.
The companies have constructed a testbed at SK Telecom's Bundang R&D centre that will be used to verify and improve mmWave transmission performance between the base station and the handset.
SK Telecom and Samsung will also consider the feasibility of deploying mmWave technologies in urban environments.
"SK Telecom is pleased to launch the mmWave system where we can develop and verify mmWave technologies," said SK Telecom CTO Alex Jinsung Choi, in a statement on Sunday.
Millimetre wave operates at frequencies of 30 GHz and above, and while they can support high data-rates, the signals do not propagate as far as those in lower bands.
SK Telecom and Samsung are working hard to overcome these limitations by using new technologies like 3D beamforming, which effectively concentrates the signal strength between the base station and the handset.
The companies demonstrated 3D beamforming with mmWave spectrum at this year's Mobile World Congress, achieving a peak throughput of 7.55 Gbps.
"Through long-standing collaboration with Korea's largest mobile operator SK Telecom, Samsung Electronics has been developing the most advanced telecommunication systems," said Cheun Kyung-whoon, executive vice president of Samsung's DMC R&D centre. "We will continue to work closely with SK Telecom to lead the development of 5G technologies."
