Samsung has hit a new milestone in Australia, achieving 10km long-range transmission over 5G mmWave in a recent field trial conducted with NBN.

Equivalent to 6.2 miles, the 28GHz 5G mmWave Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) connection is the longest recorded by Samsung.

The company says this milestone shows the expanded reach that is possible with this powerful spectrum, as well as its ability to efficiently provide widespread broadband coverage across the country.

In addition, Samsung also achieved record-setting average downlink speeds of 1.75Gbps and uplink speeds of 61.5Mbps across the 10km distance.

Its trial with NBN used eight component carriers (8CC), which brings together 800MHz of mmWave spectrum, to achieve these speeds at such an extended range.

Samsung notes that the potential to support large quantities of bandwidth is a significant advantage of using the mmWave spectrum, and the company’s beamforming technology allows such huge amounts of bandwidth at long distance to be aggregated.

At its peak, Samsung also reached a top downlink speed of 2.7Gbps over a 10km distance from the radio.

“The results of these trials with Samsung are a significant milestone and demonstrate how we are pushing the boundaries of innovation in support of the digital capabilities in Australia,” says Ray Owen, Chief Technology Officer, NBN.

“As we roll out the next evolution of our network to extend its reach for the benefit of homes and businesses across the country, we are excited to demonstrate the potential for 5G mmWave.

“NBN will be among the first in the world to deploy 5G mmWave technology at this scale, and achievements like Samsung’s 10km milestone will pave the way for further developments in the ecosystem.”

An AU$750 million investment in the NBN Fixed Wireless network has been made, comprising $270 million of NBN’s own money, with $480 million coming from the Australian Government.

NBN will use software improvements and advances in 5G technology, specifically 5G mmWave technology, to grow the company’s reach of its existing fixed wireless footprint by up to 50% and introduce two new wholesale high-speed tiers.

“This new 5G record proves the massive potential of mmWave technology, and its ability to deliver enhanced connectivity and capacity for addressing the last mile challenges in rural areas,” says Junehee Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D, Networks Business, Samsung.

“We are excited to work with NBN to push the boundaries of 5G technology even further in Australia and tap the power of mmWave for customer benefit.”

As demonstrated in the trials, the 5G mmWave spectrum is not only viable for the deployment of high-capacity 5G networks in dense urban areas but also for wider FWA coverage.

Extending the effective range of 5G data signals on mmWave will help address the connectivity gap, providing access to rural and remote areas where fibre cannot reach.

Samsung used its 28GHz Compact Macro and third-party 5G mmWave customer premise equipment (CPE) for the trial.

Compact Macro is an industry-first, integrating radio for mmWave spectrum, combining baseband, radio and antenna into a single form factor.

The compact and lightweight design allows all frequencies within the mmWave spectrum to be supported, simplifying deployment.

The offering is currently deployed in commercial 5G networks worldwide, including in Japan, Korea and the US.

“It is great to see that we have taken a meaningful step in the expansion of 5G mmWave in Australia, together with nbn,” says Ayeong Im, Vice President and Head of Oceania and Southeast Asia Business, Networks Business, Samsung.

“We look forward to opening up more opportunities with 5G in Australia, to enable an even wider range of services and compelling experiences to mobile users.”