Nokia and A1 Telekom Austria hit peak downlink data rates on the operator’s SA 5G network by implementing three-channel aggregation.
The three-channel aggregation (3CA) trial runs on two mid-band carriers in the 3.5 GHz TDD band and one capacity carrier in the 2100 MHz FDD band for a total bandwidth of 160 MHz.
“Maximising our spectrum assets will enhance coverage, capacity, and performance and we are pleased to continue to work with our long-standing partner, Nokia to realise the full potential of 5G technology,” said Alexander Stock, CTO of A1 Austria added.
Several operators have been trialling Channel Aggregation across Europe. Earlier this year, BT tested a four-carrier component (4CC) in a 5G standalone (SA). BT combined 2.1 GHz, 2.6 GHz, 3.4 GHz and 3.6 GHz into one connection. In Germany, O2 Telefonica trialled a two-carrier 5G standalone network using the 1800 MHz and 3.6 GHz bands.
The appeal of channel aggregation is that it allows mobile operators to reach higher data rates and better coverage by combining different frequencies to efficiently utilise their spectrum assets.
