Ericsson, Telstra and Qualcomm Technologies have made a 2Gbps capable LTE data call using Telstra's live commercial network in Toowoomba (Queensland).
Lab testing achieved this speed early this year, and that was followed by a public demonstration at Mobile World Congress.
The partners have now shown this level of performance is possible in the field.
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The live LTE data call was achieved by Qualcomm Technologies' mobile test device powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X24 LTE modem, connecting to an Ericsson Radio System running all five carriers from one Baseband 6630.
"We are pleased to be working with Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies on what is another example of how Telstra is innovating at the cutting edge of mobile technology," said Telstra executive director of network and infrastructure engineering Channa Seneviratne.
"Success in 5G will depend on strong underlying 4G technology, and this world first call over Telstra's commercial network is an important step forward in the development of 5G.
"We now have the commercial end-to-end network capability to deliver such world-leading LTE speeds and will now begin to deploy this technology in our mobile network to support even greater capacity and faster mobile speeds for our customers where it is needed most."
Ericsson ANZ managing director Emilio Romeo said: "Gigabit LTE has enabled our operators to give a big boost to their customers, and 2Gbps LTE technology further improves 4G network capability, which is an essential enabler for early deployment of 5G.
"We are working with two consistent innovators, Telstra and Qualcomm Technologies, to deliver this world-leading capability in Australia and building greater alignment in the ecosystem for leading operators like Telstra, and device manufacturers to plan for these enhanced world-leading speeds."
Qualcomm Technologies senior vice-president and Qualcomm North America and Australia president, Mike Finley, said "The Snapdragon X24 LTE modem is the world's first announced 2Gbps LTE modem and represents our latest LTE innovation in mobile technologies and is an important milestone in providing a glimpse of new experiences in the path to 5G."
Telstra expects 2Gbps LTE enabled devices to go on sale in early 2019. The technology is being deployed to selected parts of the Telstra network during the remainder of 2018.
Image: Orderinchaos (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons.
