In a move set to bolster network capacity and speed, Sprint has moved on network trials of three-channel carrier aggregation
Sprint recently made an aggressive move to take advantage of its deep 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings by launching network trials of three-channel carrier aggregation technology in Chicago and Kansas City.
The carrier said it deployed 3CCA capabilities across 500 cell sites in Chicago, with each site supporting three 20-megahertz channels of 2.5 GHz spectrum. The 60 megahertz of total spectrum is said to provide download speeds of more than 230 megabits per second using commercial Samsung devices like the Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.
That was followed by a similar move in Kansas City, Kansas, with a promise to deploy upgraded technology based on the LTE-Advanced standard to some 100 cell sites in the city. The carrier said the move, in conjunction with Nokia, produced similar peak data rates during a demo inside Kauffman Stadium prior to the big-league baseball game between the hometown Royals and New York Yankees.
Prior to the network trials, Sprint has over the past several months been discussing 3CCA lab trials using various Samsung, HTC and LG devices showing network speeds of up to 300 Mbps.
The network trials came on the heels of Verizon Wireless moving on a broad rollout of both two-channel and three-channel carrier aggregation technology using its 700 MHz, 1.7/2.1 GHz and 1.9 GHz spectrum holdings. The LTE-Advanced service is said to support network speeds 50% faster than its basic LTE network – so figure download speeds of between 7.5 Mbps and 18 Mbps – across more than 450 markets.
On this week’s Carrier Wrap we speak with Guenther Ottendorfer, COO of technology at Sprint, to discuss the carrier’s 3CCA work in Chicago with Samsung, and what the carrier has in mind for commercial deployments.
Thanks for watching this week’s show and make sure to check us out again next week when we speak with Huawei about utilizing hybrid network approaches to increase rural access to broadband.
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