Within the next 2 to 3 years, SFR plans to deploy 5G commercially in Reunion Island. This technology, faster and adapted to connected objects, should allow the people of Reunion to have a very high resolution on mobile. A first test took place last month at the Chaudron, in partnership with the equipment manufacturer Huawei.
A first test for 5G in Reunion Island
On October 9, a first test of 5G took place at SFR’s headquarters in Le Chaudron. For the first time on the island of Reunion, the telephone operator SFR, in partnership with the manufacturer Huawei, has achieved a speed greater than 1Gbits/s thanks to a mobile radio technology. This is the first successful 5G connection on Sister Island. Very fast and very stable, the first test was conclusive.
SFR Réunion is ready for 5G
In partnership with Huawei, SFR has succeeded in achieving a speed of over 1Gbit/s with a mobile radio technology. This first test took place in the presence of Yves Gauvin (Customer Operations Manager), Patrick Josset (Deputy General Manager) and a representative of Huawei France. The 5G radio solution implemented consists of an active antenna and an experimental 5G modem from Huawei.
64 transmitters and 64 receivers
This 5G active antenna is based on MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology. It is composed of 64 transmitters and 64 receivers (2 or 4 transmitters/receivers on a classic 4G antenna). This increases radio capacity, and allows high throughput to be offered to a maximum number of users at a single radio site. This first 5G connection in Reunion Island was successfully carried out by SFR Reunion and Huawei teams.
The speed of fibre in the mobile world
Simply put, 5G brings the speed of fiber to the mobile world. This technology is ideal for watching very high resolution videos(4K, 3D type) on a smartphone. It also allows you to experience virtual reality. In addition, 5G technology will connect objects to the Internet and meet the needs of tomorrow. This includes, for example, telemedicine, autonomous cars, online education and connected agriculture.
4G Max while waiting for 5G
Although 5G is planned for 2020-2021, SFR Reunion will launch 4G Max in early 2019. It will be available to individuals and businesses at no extra cost. SFR Reunion is continuing to develop its mobile network and is today taking a new and ambitious step forward with 4G Max. This technology brings the promise of covering over 60% of the population by July 2020.
About the 4G Max network
The 4G Max network allows for a theoretical maximum downlink speed of 800 Mbps. It is thanks to the aggregation of the 3 frequency bands in 256 QAM (800Mhz, 1800Mgz, 2600Mhz) in 4T4R that this throughput is possible. In addition, 4T4R, also known as MIMO 4×4 (Multiple Input Multiple Output) allows for longer range data transfers. Indeed, it has a higher throughput than current antennas.
Photo credit: © STEPHANE ENILORAC
