Telstra took part in a technical 5G experiment, achieving a “theoretical maximum” uplink speed of 986Mbps.
Enabling the configuration commercially would allow Telstra to “more than quadruple the present uplink speed in its 5G network,” according to a joint statement released by Ericsson and Qualcomm. “This is especially crucial for enabling applications and services that require large volumes of data to be uploaded.”
Nikos Katinakis, Telstra and group executive of networks and IT, stated that the near 1Gbps milestone “established a new record in the uplink on a commercial 5G network.” Ericsson’s new radio-dual connectivity (NR-DC) software was utilized in the demonstration, along with “uplink four-component carrier aggregation (UL 4CC CA), in which four contiguous carriers of 100MHz are merged, resulting in faster data rates.”
It made use of both the millimeter-wave and the 3.6GHz bandwidth. “The high uplink peak rate was achieved by combining data rates from both mid-band and high band (millimetre wave) to fully use Telstra’s spectrum for enhanced customer experience,” claimed the participants. Carriers have conducted several testings of 5G capabilities on millimeter-wave frequency.
Telstra already has several millimeter-wave towers operational. Optus said earlier this month that it is conducting a millimeter-wave 5G proof-of-concept test at an indoor children’s play complex in Melbourne and that it hopes to commercialize a home internet service using the spectrum shortly.