Telstra, Ericsson achieve new global record for 5G Standalone uplink speed

Telstra, in collaboration with Ericson and Qualcomm Technologies, has achieved a new global record for 5G Standalone uplink speed of 340Mbps - 100 times faster than typical 3G uplink speed.

The breakthrough will enable Telstra customers to enjoy faster and more reliable data uploads on their 5G SA devices.

The new uplink capability combines Telstra's mid-band spectrum holdings to create a massive 140MHz channel for sending data from the device to the network. This is further complemented by a 240MHz downlink channel, facilitating data transmission from the 5G SA network to the device at downlink speeds up to 3.6 Gbps and an uplink speed of 340 Mbps, making it the world's fastest using spectrum under 6 GHz.

Commenting on this milestone, Sri Amirthalingam, Telstra Executive for Global Networks and Technology, says, "This is a major milestone for Telstra and its customers. We are proud to be the first in the world to deliver this cutting-edge 5G uplink capability, which will give our customers an enhanced experience when sharing their content while they are out and about."

For this demonstration, the trio used a mobile test device powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 5G modem-RF System and an existing in-market NetGear Nighthawk M6 Pro Mobile Broadband device in the live commercial network on the Gold Coast.

Ericsson's latest software brings together different combinations of frequency ranges and types to enable a single 5G uplink and downlink data channel. By aggregating carrier bands, the software considerably increases the uplink speeds. Additionally, the ability to use low-band carriers in these combinations of frequencies delivers improved coverage and performance enhancements for the 5G SA Network.

Emilio Romeo, Head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand, says, "Ericsson's latest software features enables Telstra to capitalize the full spectrum portfolio for a wider coverage whilst providing far superior data rates. Customers will be empowered to explore new experiences offered with 5G Standalone such as differentiated services and a range of applications, which will in turn drive network monetization."