Magyar Telekom in Budapest 5G Trial

Magyar Telekom has carried out a live trial of 5G technology at its Budapest headquarters using pre-standard kit and devices from Huawei.

The Hungarian operator said it rolled out a test network using 3.7 GHz spectrum.

“5G is a genuine leap, an industrial revolution that transforms the manufacturing sector, healthcare, education, transport and almost every facet of life,” said Tibor Rékasi, CEO of Magyar Telekom, in his first major announcement since taking the helm.

“Magyar Telekom is constantly seeking to prepare for this new era with the appropriate network and services, and experiments with the help of partners for the benefit of customers and society as a whole,” Rékasi said.

The telco appointed Rékasi, formerly chief commercial officer for the residential side of the business, as chief executive following the resignation of his predecessor Christopher Mattheisen earlier this year. He took office on 1 July.

Magyar Telekom did not provide real details of its latest 5G trial, other than to talk up the speed and latency benefits of the technology. Neither did it give any indication of when a commercial launch might be likely; the demo showed “what the 5G network would be capable of in a few years’ time,” it said.

It also noted that it is following in the footsteps of its parent company, Deutsche Telekom, in carrying out 5G trials.

Deutsche Telekom in May claimed to be the first in Europe to deploy 5G antennas in its network in downtown Berlin. – Total Telecom