Telefonica in partership with Nokia, and Qualcomm has demonstrated download speeds of up to 800Mbps in a 4.5 LTE-Advanced trial. Nokia radio network equipment was used in the demonstration along with a test terminal equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X16 LTE modem.
Several technical advances were combined in order to reach the download speed. These technologies include advancement that allow mobile terminals to simultaneously download data from two frequency bands; MIMO (Multiple-input Multiple-output) 4x4 technology , which multiplies the number of data flows that a mobile terminal can use with a given cell; and the new 256QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) modulation, which allows the use of a greater amount of bits per signal transmitted through the air.
All of these technological advances will be introduced into the Telefónica Spain radio network in order to gradually increase the speed that mobile terminals can reach, said Telefonica in a statement.
For Director of Operations and Network at Telefónica Spain, Joaquín Mata
We still have a long way to go to reach 5G. We first have to move forwards in the development of LTE networks. And that’s what we're doing with partners such as Nokia and Qualcomm. Today’s test is one more milestone in Telefónica’s commitment to bringing the best Mobile Broad Band network capabilities and best services to all customers.
Enrico Salvatori, Senior Vice-President and President of Qualcomm Europe
4x4 MIMO and 256QAM, both of which are supported by our Snapdragon X16 LTE modem, offer the operator significant advantages in terms of speed and capability, and we will continue to collaborate with all the parties involved so as to transfer this improved usage experience to the end user.
