The arrival of 5G is increasingly tangible after the last spectrum tender for the deployment of this technology in Chile. However, the way for this development is still being prepared, and different actors have continued working on experimental demonstrations that allow testing the scope of the fifth-generation network and bringing its benefits to people.
In the Espacio 5G located in the Department of Electrical Engineering, FCFM, of the University of Chile (which was implemented together with Entel, the Undersecretary of Telecommunications, and Ericsson), the first transcontinental HD videoconference and live transmission was held between Chile and the United Kingdom over a 5G network, which achieved a speed of 450Mbps, according to Chilean Media TrendTic. The test was carried out by engineers from Camnexus and the Espacio 5G.
Massive IoT simulation
Researchers present in both cities were able to see in real-time a Massive IoT simulation through the operation of 200 low-consumption wireless sensors that measure, in this case, the water pressure, simultaneously delivering data to the network. Device data can be viewed in real-time on a personalized and intuitive platform, with virtual assistants, which allows to receive alarms and also interrogate to know the status of the equipment and processes.
In the simulation, it was shown that after receiving an alarm, the work team connected from Chile to the United Kingdom in real-time to verify the system warning. Simultaneously, the dashboard displays the live streaming of the video of the anomaly area.
This experimental test is a concrete demonstration of the role of 5G as an enabling technology for others since by challenging geographical barriers it constitutes a contribution in terms of ubiquity, not only in the communication of people but also in the remote monitoring of sensors. Likewise, it allows access to these platforms from anywhere in the world, contributing to decision-making in real-time, an extremely important feature when it comes to critical assets.
Strengthening the digital ecosystem
The test was carried out in the Espacio 5G, a laboratory inaugurated in December 2020, whose objective is to have a space for teaching, research, exploration, and development of applications and programs around 5G, where entrepreneurs, academics, students, and partners will be able to promote innovative projects and solutions based on this technology.
“This demonstration is a clear example of the benefits that innovation has as an enabler of the digital ecosystem, where institutions from the academic, private and public world, contribute from their experience to generate great changes and, in this case, demonstrate the capabilities it brings. 5G for the industrial sector ”, explains Entel’s Innovation Manager, Carlos Rodríguez.
“The Laboratory emerges as a location for experimentation to continue conducting quality research and accelerating technology transfer processes. That is why from the university we saw that this initiative was aligned with what s objectives and capabilities of the laboratory, and we hope that more milestones of this type will continue to be achieved ”, says the academic and coordinator of the Laboratory, Sandra Céspedes.
Thus, the experimental test showed that collaboration is essential to achieve instances like these, where different institutions are involved in the development and search for technological solutions. Entel, for its part, made the terminal and the SIM Card that were used available to the researchers, while the Laboratory’s 5G network is from Ericsson and the experimental spectrum was delivered by Subtel in December last year when it was inaugurated. the 5G Laboratory at the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences of the University of Chile.