NTT Docomo Lays More Track in Race to 5G

NTT Docomo has paved more runway in the race toward 5G connectivity with a recent test of high-speed communications.

Working with glass specialist AGC, the Japanese telecom developed a glass-mounted antenna system that could be equipped onto a vehicle. It worked with Ericsson to test this technology in a real-world trial, in which data was transmitted across the 5G 28 GHz band to and from a fast-moving car.

The company says that the antenna system attained a communication speed of eight GB per second when the car was moving at 100 km per hour, and that it reached a maximum communication speed of 11 GB per second when the car was travelling at about 30 km per hour.

In a statement, NTT Docomo explained that the on-glass antenna technology could process radio waves above a frequency of six GHz via “beam forming” and “MIMO” functions, which together allow for “stable, high-speed communications even for vehicles in operation.”

NTT Docomo has previously worked with Ericsson, and also Intel and Toyota, to trial 4K video streaming to a moving car. Looking ahead, the company says that it will continue to working with Ericsson and AGC “toward utilizing 5G in various environments including in-vehicle communication modules, etc., aiming to see 5G connected cars become a reality.”