The 4CC data trial combined Optus’ low-band spectrum and 2,100MHz FDD bands with 2,300MHz and 3,500MHz TDD bands
Australian operator Optus has completed what it claims to be the first four component carrier aggregation 5G standalone data call in the country.
To achieve this milestone, Optus collaborated with Nokia and MediaTek utilizing Nokia’s 5G AirScale product line and MediaTek’s Release 16 M80 modem in a smartphone form factor to achieve enhanced speeds and improved capacity during the trial.
The 4CC data trial combined Optus’ low-band spectrum and 2,100MHz FDD bands with 2,300MHz and 3,500MHz TDD bands to achieve 4x carrier aggregation.
Lambo Kanagaratnam, VP of Networks at Optus, said: “Using the MediaTek device and working with Nokia for this trial has allowed us to look at the feasibility of this technology, working through any challenges, in advance of commercial handsets becoming available over the next 6-12 months. The ability to test and learn is important, allowing us to upgrade our network capability in advance so that the technology is available for our customers as soon as consumer devices are available in market.”
Optus also noted that 4CC technology will be a key enabler for advanced 5G use cases in the areas of virtual and augmented reality as well as real-time gaming.
Rob Joyce, CTO for Australia and New Zealand at Nokia said: “Nokia is delighted to once again support Optus with our world-leading Carrier Aggregation technology. Operators like Optus can now fully leverage their spectrum assets, optimizing their network’s coverage and capacity to deliver the best experiences for their customers.”
In May, Optus, Nokia and Samsung Electronics Australia announced that they have achieved a data session using three-component-carrier (3CC) Carrier Aggregation (CA) technology over a 5G Standalone network in Australia. For this trial, Nokia used its latest commercial AirScale Baseband and radio portfolio powered by its Reefshark chipset over Optus’ commercial network. The trial combined the FDD band with the TDD band using CA technology.
In November 2021, Optus announced the launch of a 5G Standalone (SA) trial prior to the commercial launch of this technology, expected for 2022.
The Australian carrier is working with Ericsson on its 5G Standalone core network.
In May 2021, Optus switched on its first 5G mmWave commercial sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Meanwhile, in July 2020, Optus said it was testing 5G mmWave technology in partnership with Ericsson. Also in 2020, Optus had successfully implemented spectrum sharing technology from Ericsson to make an end-to-end 5G video test call while simultaneously streaming video content on a 4G device.
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