Optus and Ericsson hit 3.4Gbps on a live 5G standalone network

Optus and Ericsson have recorded peak downlink speeds of 3.4Gbps on Optus’ live 5G standalone network in Sydney. The test used four-component carrier aggregation across multiple spectrum bands.

The test combined Optus’ 900MHz, 2.1GHz, 2.3GHz, and 3.5GHz downlink spectrum, using 220MHz of total bandwidth. The companies said the result was achieved at Optus’ Sydney campus using commercial devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

The companies also reached uplink speeds of 200Mbps through two-component carrier aggregation. That test combined one FDD band from either 900MHz or 2.1GHz with one TDD band from either 2.3GHz or 3.5GHz.

How the spectrum was combined

The configuration used Ericsson 5G standalone network equipment and software. The downlink test combined FDD spectrum at 900MHz and 2.1GHz, corresponding to bands n8 and n1.

It also used TDD spectrum at 2.3GHz and 3.5GHz, corresponding to bands n40 and n78. Optus and Ericsson said this created 180MHz of aggregated TDD mid-band spectrum across the 2.3GHz and 3.5GHz holdings.

Carrier aggregation combines separate spectrum bands to increase available capacity and throughput. In this test, the downlink configuration combined low-band spectrum with mid-band and upper-mid-band holdings on the same live 5G standalone network.

The companies described the 180MHz aggregation across 2.3GHz and 3.5GHz as a first for those bands. The broader downlink test used 220MHz of bandwidth across four bands.

The demonstration aligns with 3GPP Release 16 and Release 17 enhancements for 5G NR carrier aggregation, including support for FDD and TDD aggregation within sub-6GHz frequencies.

The companies said the speeds were achieved using commercial off-the-shelf devices rather than lab-only equipment.

Commercial devices and rollout plans

Optus said the capability is already supported by mainstream devices on its network, including Samsung Galaxy S24 and later models. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra was also used during the Sydney campus test.

The operator plans to deploy the carrier aggregation capability across its metropolitan networks in Sydney and Melbourne over the next 12 to 18 months.

5G standalone uses a dedicated 5G core, rather than relying on 4G core infrastructure.

The result builds on earlier carrier aggregation work between Optus and Ericsson. In 2020, the companies demonstrated a 2300MHz and 3500MHz 5G non-standalone carrier aggregation call.

Fixed wireless and high-traffic use cases

Optus said the technology is intended to improve performance in high-traffic locations. These include transport hubs, central business districts, and event venues.

The company said the added capacity is intended to support data-heavy services. These include high-resolution video streaming, AR/VR applications, and large file downloads.

It also said the combined mid-band spectrum would support fixed wireless access performance. Fixed wireless access delivers home or business broadband through mobile network infrastructure.

Optus said the 180MHz mid-band combination would support those services for homes and businesses. Optus said combining low-band and mid-band spectrum would support network performance in areas with heavy usage.

Optus CTO Sri Amirthalingam said the test was carried out in live network conditions. He said the company’s work with Ericsson was focused on increasing capacity and performance across Optus’ 5G network.

Amirthalingam said the result was part of Optus’ network evolution toward 5G Advanced.

Ludvig Landgren, head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand, said the work combined multiple Optus spectrum assets using Ericsson technology.

Carrier aggregation tests continue globally

T-Mobile US previously reported 6Gbps downlink speeds using six carriers. T-Mobile US also reported 550Mbps uplink throughput using transmit switching on sub-6GHz spectrum.

Vodafone and MediaTek reached 277Mbps uplink speeds in a carrier aggregation test in Spain. In Finland, Elisa, Ericsson, and MediaTek combined 12 carriers to record 8Gbps on the downlink.

In Australia, Telstra deployed Ericsson’s automated carrier aggregation solution at more than 50 live 5G Advanced sites in North Sydney.

See also: SoftBank and Ericsson boost 5G performance with uplink switching

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