The Italian telco has surpassed speeds of 2Gbps on its 5G network in what is understood to be a European-first.
The milestone also marks TIM’s first use of 200 MHz of the 26 GHz spectrum it acquired at the Italian 5G auction in 2018, in addition to further 200 MHz available through the spectrum auction’s ‘club use’ model. Through the clause, each licensee can dynamically use all the awarded spectrum in areas where frequencies are not used by other licensees.
TIM says performance will improve further this year as available bandwidth increases to 800 MHz and, later, 1,000 MHz.
Fixed Wireless Access
The operator collaborated with Ericsson and Qualcomm, using an Askey CPE RTL0200 powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G Modem-RF System. The solution was based on a standard 3GPP Non-Stand Alone (NSA) solution which enables devices and network components from different providers to interact with and aggregate TIM’s 4G and 5G network
Michele Gamberini, TIM’s Chief Technology and Information Officer commented, “This milestone paves the way to the development of new 5G solutions to grant fixed ultra-broadband to families, companies and public authorities not yet covered.
“This also includes coverage dedicated to the development of robotics and [automated] digital services in the smart manufacturing area. All of our customers will, therefore, be able to take advantage of a wide range of integrated solutions that will allow them to fully enter the digital society.”
TIM launched Italy’s first 5G connection in 2017 and Europe’s first 5G video call in 2018.