South Korean researchers have demonstrated a new wireless technology that can transport data 30 times faster than the 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and 100 times faster than the unlicensed WiFi spectrum.

Korea’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) said Tuesday it successfully tested the mobile hotspot network (MHN) technology on a moving Seoul subway train last month.

The MHN technology offers a peak transfer rate of 1.25 gigabits per second (Gbps), compared with 30 megabit per second of the standard WiMax.

Through expansive 30-gigahertz (GHz) bandwidth, it allows 550 passengers on a train to watch 2Mbs video streaming at the same time. Current wireless technology could host up to 20 viewers.

“We’ve compared the three wireless connectivity systems on a moving train,” said Kim Young-jin, head of the 5G Giga Service Research unit in ETRI.

The test results showed that the peak download rate for MHN was around 260-360MBps depending on the mobile device, compared with 12Mbps for LTE and mobile WiMax.

Despite its free accessibility, WiFi has been challenged for its host environment lacking in meeting the needs of fast data and traffic.

The institute plans to field MHN as the Korean candidate for the global 5G standard certified by the International Telecommunication Union.

By Won Ho-sup

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