5G
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5G
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Telecoms

T-Mobile has completed the world’s first six-carrier aggregation call using sub-6 GHz spectrum on its live 5G production network.

Working alongside Ericsson and Qualcomm, T-Mobile combined six 5G component carriers to reach speeds above 3.6 Gbps—enough to download a two-hour high-definition film in under seven seconds.

“We are thrilled to have achieved this milestone, which showcases the incredible speeds and performance our customers can expect from our industry-leading 5G network,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile.

The test combined two channels of 2.5 GHz Ultra Capacity 5G, two channels of PCS spectrum, and two channels of AWS spectrum to create an effective 245 MHz of aggregated bandwidth. Carrier aggregation allows cellular providers like T-Mobile to combine multiple channels across different frequency bands to massively boost throughput and capacity.

“We are pushing the limits of what’s possible with 5G to keep our customers connected with transformational speeds and network performance,” commented Ulf Ewaldsson, President of Technology at T-Mobile.

Starlink ‘Direct to Cell’ service

Earlier this week, T-Mobile announced a new service that will leverage “Direct to Cell” capabilities built into SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. Signals will route directly between a user’s phone and the satellite network, bypassing the need for ground cell towers.

This will allow for mobile phone connectivity anywhere on Earth.

Note, this only supports ~7Mb per beam and the beams are very big, so while this is a great solution for locations with no cellular connectivity, it is not meaningfully competitive with existing terrestrial… https://t.co/ymHpw8XBHl
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 3, 2024

“We are tirelessly pursuing 100 percent connectivity coverage for Americans,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “This groundbreaking alliance fundamentally changes the connectivity equation, helping us achieve fully universal mobile access.”

Initially, the service will focus on providing vital text messaging capabilities before expanding to voice and data in coming years. The goal is for T-Mobile customers to stay connected anywhere they can see the sky.

(Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash)

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Ryan Daws

Senior Editor

Ryan Daws is a senior editor at TechForge Media with over a decade of experience in crafting compelling narratives and making complex topics accessible. His articles and interviews with industry leaders have earned him recognition as a key influencer by organisations like Onalytica. Under his leadership, publications have been praised by analyst firms such as Forrester for their excellence and performance. Connect with him on X (@gadget_ry), Bluesky (@gadgetry.bsky.social), and/or Mastodon (@gadgetry@techhub.social)