Singapore’s M1 has announced it has achieved close to 1Gbps download speeds during a successful trial of licensed assisted access (LAA) technology on its LTE-Advanced network.
The trial of LAA small cells provided by Nokia involved using the unlicensed 5-GHz spectrum band to augment the capacity of M1’s LTE network.
During the trial, M1 and Nokia were able to demonstrate that the LAA network is able to co-exist with Wi-Fi networks using the same 5-GHz band without causing interference, paving the way for a city-wide upgrade.
M1 has also announced that it plans to apply Nokia’s LAA technology to its extensive heterogeneous network (HetNet), which is the largest in Singapore with more than 500 integrated small cells and Wi-Fi access points deployed at major traffic hotspots throughout the city.
“Through this latest trial with our long-term technology partner Nokia, we reiterate our commitment in applying latest technologies to provide our customers with the best possible cellular and WiFi experience on the move. M1 customers will continue to enjoy an even better user experience through M1’s advanced 4G+ mobile network,” said Denis Seek, chief technical officer at M1.
M1 and Nokia last year collaborated to deploy Southeast Asia’s first narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) network for Singapore customers. The companies are also collaborating on Southeast Asia’s first 5G small cell trial.