mmMagic Consortium Sets to Work on Developing Tech for Extreme Mobile Broadband Service

Mobile video
The mmMAGIC consortium is focused on high data rates for services such as ultra high definition streaming video to mobile devices over cellular networks

mmMAGIC, an international consortium led by Samsung and bringing together vendors and European operators has kicked off its race to develop concepts and key components for a new 5G mobile radio access technology which is expected to operate in a range of frequency bands between 6 and 100 GHz, including mm-Wave frequencies.

The use of such extremely high frequencies for mobile communications is challenging but necessary for supporting 5G’s extreme mobile broadband service which will require very high (up to 10 Gbps) data rates, and in some scenarios, also very low end-to-end latencies (less than 5ms). The project aims to accelerate standardisation of millimeter wave technologies for 5G so that the industry and citizens will benefit from commercialisation by 2020.

The mmMAGIC project is co-funded by the European Commission’s 5G PPP program, bringing together major infrastructure vendors (Samsung, Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei, Intel, Nokia); major European operators (Orange, Telefonica), leading research institutes and universities (Fraunhofer HHI, CEA LETI, IMDEA Networks, Universities Aalto, Bristol, Chalmers and Dresden); measurement equipment vendors (Keysight Technologies, Rohde & Schwarz) and one SME (Qamcom).

mmMAGIC is led and coordinated by Samsung. Ericsson acts as technical manager, while Intel, Fraunhofer HHI, Nokia, Huawei and Samsung will each lead one of the five technical work packages of the project. The project was officially launched on 1 July and will last for two years. However, the consortium decided to jump-start its research three months ahead of the official EC launch in order to deliver its first results by the end of July.
The mmMAGIC project will develop and design new concepts for mobile radio access technology (RAT) for deployment in the 6-100 GHz range. This new RAT is envisaged as a key component in the overall 5G multi-RAT ecosystem.

The project will undertake extensive radio channel measurements in the 6-100 GHz range at multiple locations in Europe, and will develop advanced channel models that will be used for rigorous validation and feasibility analysis of the proposed concepts and system, as well as for usage in regulatory and standards fora. The ambition of the project is to pave the way for a European head start in 5G standards and to be a focal point for European and global consensus building on the architecture, key components and spectrum for 5G systems operating above 6 GHz.