Optus Breaks 10Gbps In 5G Test
Optus has hailed what it calls a new 5G speed record, breaking the 10Gbps barrier at a live site in Brisbane.
Working with technology partner Nokia, the telco aggregated its 3500Mhz and 28Ghz (mmWave) spectrum bands with existing 4G layers to achieve what it says is a preview of the capabilities of mmWave once the technology becomes commercially available in Australia.
Lambo Kanagaratnam, Optus Managing Director Networks, said the test demonstrated a significant increase in single-user peak speed and a boost to total site throughput.
“We already know that 5G is fast but what we’re seeing here is innovative use of spectrum layers to deliver a single site with over 10Gbps throughput.
“This is a fantastic demonstration of how mmWave spectrum, integrated into existing 5G and 4G sites, has the capability to significantly boost overall site capacity – which will be a gamechanger for our customers.
“We are currently seeing commercial single user peak speeds of around 1-2Gbps on our existing 5G sites, but once the 5G mmWave layer is added we expect to see peak speeds closer to 4Gbps,” he said.
According to Optus, average peak site capacity for 5G is around 3Gbps, translating to 75 simultaneous 4K video streams per site; adding the mmWave layer and boosting capacity to 10Gbps will make it possible for one site to support 250 4K streams, a 230 per cent increase. This will allow more customers in densely populated and high-traffic areas to access 5G without taking a hit to performance.
The telco says that more than 830,000 Australian households are currently covered by its 1200+ 5G sites.