Backed by a technical specification comprising 8 component carriers (8CC) aggregating 800MHz of millimeter wave spectrum, Ericsson announced that its engineers have achieved delivery rates of 4.3 Gbps – i.e. the fastest 5G speed to date, the company says.
Achieved using a new combination of Ericsson Radio System solutions and 8CC software aggregating 800MHz of millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum band, the landmark data rate was achieved during interoperability testing using commercial solutions and serves to extended the capabilities of 5G, contends Ericsson.
Per Narvinger, head of product area networks for Ericsson, commented, “This is a fantastic achievement. To put 4.3 Gbps in context, that is the equivalent of downloading one hour of ultra-high-definition, or 4K, content from a streaming service in just 14 seconds."
In the test transmission, the Ericsson Radio System Street Macro 6701 delivered data with downlink speeds of 4.3 Gbps over the air using a 5G smartphone form factor test device powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF system. This commercial solution, including network and terminal support, will be available to 5G consumers during 2020.
An Ericsson statement observed that the breakthrough data rate "is good news for enhanced mobile broadband use cases such as multi-player gaming, AR gaming and rich video streaming. Higher downlink speeds will also expand opportunities for communications service providers to bring fixed wireless access to consumers, with cellular mmWave connectivity of up to four times faster than fiber," continued the statement.
Ericsson's Narvinger concluded, "Ericsson is taking the next steps in ensuring service providers can deliver the best capacity and data rates over millimeter wave 5G. The 8CC aggregation solution we have successfully tested will enable not only higher speeds but also large-scale 5G deployments and new business opportunities.”
The record downlink speed on mmWave is Ericsson’s latest in a series of industry innovations, which includes a 2 Gbps data call at MWC in 2018, and a 3 Gbps LTE-5G dual connectivity speed showcased at MWC 2019.