1Gbps Mobile Internet Speed announced by Samsung

In Pakistan we worry about theoretical speed of 7 Mbps or 36 Mbps for our recently launched mobile internet technologies while world is leaps ahead. In a major development, Samsung and South Korean telecom operator KT have announced the fastest mobile internet speed possible … 1.17 Gbps. Called GiGA LTE the technology is about 15 times faster than conventional LTE and about four times faster than the nearest LTE competitor.

South Korea has the highest LTE speed in the world, a theoretical speed of 300 Mbps, using an advanced form of LTE called LTE-A (LTE Advanced). This particular form of LTE combines multiple spectrums to provide higher mobile internet speed than conventional technologies and South Korean mobile operators are keen to lead the next generation of LTE technologies.

GiGA LTE is the next big step towards 5G technology. Standards still not finalized, experts believe the next generation (5G) would provide much greater speed by using mobile spectrum and WiFi simultaneously. Combining different spectrums was the first step, and now combining them with high-speed hotspot networks is the second major step which Samsung and KT have been working on since late 2014. Another operator, Qualcomm, has been exploring a technology which will allow mobile operators to use the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum … the frequency on which WiFi signals travel … and will significantly increase currently available mobile internet speed.

GiGA LTE will utilize 140,000 WiFi hotspots of KT’s own network as well as 200,000 LTE base stations to provide this superfast speed in South Korea. A hybrid technology, it will initially be available for users with Samsung S6 and S6 Edge smartphones and will only require firmware upgrade to make it work. KT users with these handsets will start receiving update options soon and more compatible handsets will be launched later this year to benefit from the new LTE technology.

It is yet to be seen how soon this technology will be adopted by other countries since it could lead to major (and costly) infrastructural changes for several big carriers around the world. In Pakistan the 3G/4G services have only recently been launched and it will be a while before such high speed LTE will be introduced in the country. Even in Korea it is expected that the technology will be fully functional by 2018 Winter Olympics.

Khurram Zahid