Ericsson and du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunication Company (EITC), announced on Monday that they have leveraged carrier aggregation to achieve a download speed of up to 16.7 Gbps on du’s 5G standalone (SA) network.
According to Ericsson, the test involved deploying ten carriers per sector – eight using millimeter wave (mmWave) and two using mid-band spectrum. The combined bands achieved an aggregate download speed of up to 16.7 Gbps, which Ericsson and du claim is a new record for 5G.
This implementation leveraged Ericsson’s 5G SA New Radio-Dual Connectivity (NR-DC) and carrier aggregation technology on du’s live 5G network without using test nodes.
Nicolas Blixell, VP and head of Ericsson Gulf Council Countries at Ericsson Middle East and Africa said the test paves the way for increased network capacity for 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) users, which will in turn enable telcos to provide differentiated experiences and give a quality boost to services like augmented reality, virtual reality and cloud gaming.
“Demonstrating the power of 5G Standalone, this trial involving our New Radio Dual Connectivity and carrier aggregation solutions sets the scene for a future of innovative applications and services in the United Arab Emirates that will change the way we connect,” Blixell said in a. statement.
Saleem Alblooshi, CTO at du,said the trial with Ericsson “represents a leap in our journey to build an exceptional network that delivers the best possible experience to our consumers.”
