M1 Limited (M1) and Huawei have successfully achieved 4G peak download speeds of more than 1Gbps, and peak upload speeds in excess of 130Mbps.
This is the first time Huawei and an operator have achieved such a high combined download and upload speed. Current LTE CAT9 devices, the most advanced 4G devices available commercially today, support download speeds of up to 450Mbps and upload speeds of up to 50Mbps.
The trial, performed in M1’s Long Term Evolution (LTE) Advanced test lab, is conducted using existing commercial hardware infrastructure supplied by Huawei and a prototype CAT14 device. The trial was made possible through the innovative integration of four advanced network technologies: 3CC (three component carrier) aggregation, 4×4 MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output), Higher Order Modulation 256 QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) and 2CC uplink carrier aggregation.
“Through technology innovation, we can further stretch the capability of current 4G technology, prior to the advent of 5G technology, to achieve an incredible peak download speed of more than 1Gbps,” said Denis Seek, Chief Technical Officer, M1.
“With more customers uploading and sharing content on social media and other channels, it is equally important to ensure we can deliver higher upload speeds. For this reason, we are also testing technology to deliver increased mobile upload speeds, to ensure we can meet their expectations,” added Seek.
“The successful trial marks the beginning of 4.5G era in Singapore, demonstrating Huawei and M1’s continual innovation in delivering the benefits of the latest mobile technology advances to Singapore consumers, for instance, in enabling machine-to-machine connections and improving HD video experience,” said Wang Jun, President of LTE Networks, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
A summary of the technology implemented during the trial:
● Higher Order Modulation (256QAM) technology that increase the numbers of bits to be
carried over the same LTE symbol;
● LTE-A 4×4 MIMO technology that enables the download speed to double from existing 2×2 MIMO
configuration;
● 3CC Tri-Band Downlink Carrier Aggregation that allows the use of three spectrum bands
simultaneously to improve the downlink throughput speed;
● 2CC Uplink Carrier Aggregation that allows aggregation of two spectrum bands simultaneously to
improve the uplink throughput speed.
