Samsung Announces Breakthrough in Mobile Data Speed SEOUL - Samsung Electronics said Monday it had made a key breakthrough in developing mobile technologies for so-called fifth-generation networks that would provide data transmission up to several hundred times faster than the current fourth-generation, or 4G, technology. The breakthrough helped Samsung overcome limitations in transmitting large volumes of data over long distances using a broad band of frequencies, the company said in a news release. Samsung, the world's biggest maker of mobile phones, said it would accelerate the research and development to commercialize those technologies by 2020. "Samsung's latest innovation is expected to invigorate research into 5G cellular communications across the world," the company said. The company believes it will trigger the creation of international alliances and the timely commercialization of related mobile broadband services. Once commercialized, 5G mobile technology will allow users to transmit huge data files, like high-quality digital movies, "practically without limitation," it said. The European Union announced earlier this year a plan to invest €50 million, or $65 million, in research to deliver 5G mobile technology by 2020.