Telstra LTE trial triples download speed

TELSTRA has demonstrated download speeds of 149Mbps in trials of Long Term Evolution mobile technology, the successor to 3G mobile systems.
Telstra has been trialling the technology for the past six months in Box Hill, Melbourne. Together with equipment partner Huawei, it was able to more than triple the peak download speeds exhibited on its Next G network.
Telstra and Huawei tested the technology using the 1800MHz spectrum band, the same one it uses for its 2G mobile services, in two environments — one in a controlled lab using 20MHz of bandwidth and a second set in the field using 10MHz of spectrum.
Controlled tests using 20MHz of spectrum achieved peak downlink speeds of 149.4Mbps and peak uplink speeds of 59Mbps, while field trials using 10MHz of spectrum demonstrated peak downlink speeds of 69.3Mbps and peak uplink speeds of 24Mbps.
However, in the real world, where wireless broadband speed is aggregated among users per base station, it is likely that download speeds will reach a third of the advertised peak downlink and uplink speeds. Speeds will also depend on how far a subscriber is from a base station.
“The significance of the trial with Huawei equipment is that it allowed Telstra to test the performance of LTE at 1800MHz and we were able to test the limits of the technology and explore its performance against a number of criteria,” Telstra’s executive director for networks and access technologies, Mike Wright, said. “As a technology, LTE has some unique characteristics that result in improved radio network capability and efficiency such as improved capacity and speed.”
Although the 700MHz and 2600MHz bands have been earmarked by carriers globally for LTE deployments, these spectrum allocations are not yet available in Australia as they are tied up in analog TV broadcasts and electronic news gathering services.
The government plans to auction off this “digital dividend” in late 2013 after it has completed its digital television switchover. Telstra may use the proceeds of the $13.8 billion bounty it will be paid to participate in the National Broadband Network to fund the purchase of this LTE compatible spectrum. But while the government continues its process of freeing up these spectrum bands, the 1800Mhz band could prove an attractive alternative to carriers as mobile customers free up the spectrum when they move from 2G services to 3G and LTE.
The LTE tests are part of a three-vendor trial — involving Huawei, Nokia Siemens Networks and Ericsson — before the telco giant looks to commercialise the technology within the next couple of years.
Last month, the telco giant completed a live video call between Sydney and Melbourne on Ericsson kit and earlier this year Telstra, with Nokia Siemens Networks, achieved peak download speeds of 100Mbps and an upload speed of 31Mbps in trials over a distance of 75km.
Vodafone Hutchison Australia and Optus are also trialling LTE technology with Huawei in the 1800MHz band.
Article via The Australian