T-Mobile successfully establishes 5G connection with OPPO smartphone

For the first time, T-Mobile has set up a 5G connection with a smartphone. The connection was set up with an OPPO Reno 5G, and provided a maximum download speed of 850 Mbps.

The connection was set up in the T-Mobile 5G Field Lab. In this lab – which is located at the head office in The Hague – new possibilities of 5G are being tested. The provider has been conducting various 5G tests on telephones since it obtained an experimental licence for the 3.5GHz with 100MHz.

The OPPO Reno 5G test achieved download speeds of up to 850 Mbps, double the maximum 400 Mbps achieved on the 4G network. The 5G speeds and latency are also limited by test limits.

By experimenting with different functionalities of 5G technology in our 5G Field Lab, consumers can already taste the 5G possibilities of the future, says CTIO Kim Larsen of T-Mobile Netherlands.

Rollout 5G

The testing of 5G applications is now only possible at a limited number of research locations. The tests will give a foretaste of what will be possible after the national roll-out of the mobile connection in 2020.

Before the roll-out takes place, the first 5G frequency will be auctioned next year. It concerns the 700 MHz band. At least three telecom providers will be able to buy and use frequencies. T-Mobile is probably one of them.

In 2022 or 2023, the 3.5 GHz frequency will be auctioned, further increasing the capacity of the network.

Other tests

Also VodafoneZiggo tests 5G connections. Earlier this month, the company announced that it had established its first 5G connection in the Maastricht area, in cooperation with Ericsson. This was with a test license on the 3.5 GHz frequency and outside a laboratory.

The connection of VodafoneZiggo was a test for the construction of a larger network to be built in Eindhoven. There the frequency can be used for pilots with a social impact for everyone in the city.