A1, Nokia claim pre-6G video stream first in Austria

As a result of a trial the concerned parties said exemplified the possibility of significantly expanding spectrum capacities, and making even better use of existing frequency bands and supplementing them with additional resources, operator A1 and technology partner Nokia have claimed to have undertaken pre-6G video stream in the upper 6 GHz spectrum for the first time in Central Europe.

The companies said the trial they carried out at the A1 Technology Centre in Vienna has demonstrated the next step in the evolution of mobile communications.

A1 said the mobile ecosystem was growing rapidly, and included technologies and services such as the internet of things (IoT), extended reality (XR), autonomous vehicles, robots and artificial intelligence (AI).

It added that – just like with other operators in Europe and the world – the combination of new services and devices and a sharp increase in usage have sparked significant growth in data traffic, thus making it necessary to continuously develop existing networks. As part of this development, A1 said a special focus was placed on efficiency, sustainability, safety and the interaction with new technologies.

A1 was of the view that the results of the tests at its technology centre showed the great potential of mobile communications for future 5G-Advanced and 6G applications, and underlined the company’s commitment to the sustainable development of the digital infrastructure.

“I am pleased that we can demonstrate the possibilities of future wireless technologies here at the A1 Technology Centre,” said A1 Austria chief technology officer Christian Laqué.

“After all, we will continue to provide the basis for rapidly advancing digitalisation in the future and take into account the increasing demand for secure connectivity. Today’s pre-6G transmission shows that we can build on existing infrastructures as we continue to develop our networks and make them even more efficient.”

As part of the trial, a Nokia 128TRX Massive MIMO transmitter and a MediaTec test terminal were used as receivers. Under practical conditions, it was shown that the spectrum used in this process could be used in existing macro networks and is compatible with the range of current mobile radio cells.

The test results were also said to have showed possibilities to increase urban capacities significantly, while maintaining an unchanged network of locations. A1 and Nokia were also of the opinion that at the same time, transmission speeds in suburban and rural areas could be significantly improved.

“We are just at the beginning of a long journey, but with this proof of concept, we have demonstrated that 6G will not only meet the growing demand for data traffic, but also unlock groundbreaking possibilities, such as network sensing and the transformative role of AI in the networks of the future in an efficient, sustainable and secure way,” said Christoph Rohr, country manager at Nokia.

Nokia has been at the forefront of 6G development since it was considered, and in 2020, was appointed as the project leader for Hexa-X, the European Commission’s 6G flagship initiative for research into the next generation of wireless networks, and the first official research initiative across the industry ecosystem to accelerate and foster 6G research and drive European leadership in the 6G era.

The company also has a significant presence in the University of Oulu in Finland, which is one of the leading technical facilities for research into the next generation of communications.