Qualcomm Technologies (QTI) and Huawei said they achieved download speeds of up to 410 Mbps on the LTE Advanced (LTE-A) network of UK-based operator EE by aggregating three separate frequency blocks or carriers.
The inter-company interoperability tests of LTE Category 9 connectivity using carrier aggregation technology were conducted using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with integrated LTE-A modem, and Huawei's commercial infrastructure solution.
Category 9 Carrier Aggregation allowed EE to aggregate three separate carriers: 20 MHz of 1800 MHz spectrum, 20 MHz of 2.6 GHz, and a third carrier of 15 MHz of 2.6 GHz.
According to QTI, this represents the first announcement of a successful completion of LTE Category 9 interoperability testing with major solutions providers and operators in Europe.
"Transitioning from Category 6 to Category 9 LTE-A connectivity will mean 1.5x faster peak download speeds, swift application response times, reliable connectivity and connections to the fastest networks," said Enrico Salvatori, senior vice president & president of Qualcomm Europe.
Tom Bennett, director of network services and devices at EE, noted that the use of the operator's remaining 15 MHz of 2.6 GHz spectrum "enables both our fastest speeds and an increase in capacity across our network and this successful testing phase is a big step forward."
Bennett added that the services would be demonstrated at Wembley Stadium in London early next year.
EE, currently the subject of a £12.5 billion (€15.7 billion/$19.6 billion) bid by BT, launched its LTE-A network in London in October and plans to roll the services out to Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester in 2015.
In August, ABI Research said the total number of subscribers for LTE and LTE-A would grow to nearly 411 million and 22 million respectively by year-end 2014. The research company also predicted that 45 networks globally would have commercially launched LTE-A by the fourth quarter of 2014.
ABI Research said in February that all the major mobile operators globally are showing their commitments to carrier aggregation-capable LTE-A technology, and forecast that LTE-A subscribers would grow to 750 million in 2019, accounting for 37.3 per cent of overall LTE subscribers.
For more:
- see this QTI release
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