Huawei, EE and Qualcomm announced yesterday that they have completed an interoperability test for LTE-Advanced three-band carrier aggregation (CA) capable of achieving download speeds of up to 410Mbps.
The trio said in a statement that the test represents a significant step forward in the industry’s attempt to improve download speed and reliability.
The interoperability test of LTE Category 9 connectivity was conducted using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 processor with an integrated LTE-A modem and Huawei's commercial infrastructure solution across EE’s LTE-A network.
According to Huawei, Category 9 technology allows EE to aggregate three separate carriers: 20MHz of 1800MHz spectrum, 20MHz of 2.6GHz, and a third carrier of 15MHz of 2.6GHz.
“This test is a truly ground-breaking moment as we move towards the 5G era,” said Yang Chaobin, CMO, Huawei Wireless Network Business Unit, in the statement. “The LTE Category 9 interoperability test is the first successfully completed trial of its kind in Europe and we’re proud to be working alongside Qualcomm Technologies and EE to drive future networks.”
Additionally, 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 and president of Qualcomm Europe.
Tom Bennett, EE's director of network services and devices, said the UK operator will demonstrate carrier aggregation using its remaining 15 MHz of the 2.6 GHz spectrum at Wembley Stadium in early 2015.