Turkcell has hit downlink speeds of 63MBps by carrying out the world’s first demo of three carrier high-speed downlink packet access (3C-HSDPA) on a commercial network with Ericsson and Qualcomm.
The technology is designed to allow networks transmit on up to three 5MHz carriers to a single user. Ericsson said the tech is engineered to boost downlink user speeds by as much as 50 percent through an entire cell, compared to single carrier.
The test was carried out on a smartphone featuring a Qualcomm processor with an integrated modem from the manufacturer.
It was carried out on Turkcell’s 2.1GHz band on its WCDMA commercial network, using three 5 MHz carriers for downlink and two 5MHz carriers for uplink. Turkcell used Ericsson’s core network and radio access network nodes.
Ziya Erdem, Ericsson Turkey General Manager said: “In recent years we are experiencing a paradigm shift in the telecommunications world. In this context, application coverage and improving end user experience become our focal points.
“In cooperation with Turkcell and Qualcomm Technologies, we have tested three carrier data download and also two carrier data upload technologies for the first time in the world. These technologies will enable Turkcell customers to access their desired mobile applications with even greater ease, and carry end user experience to new heights.”
The results far outstrip the speeds recorded by Turkcell’s dual-carrier HSDPA network, which has speeds of up to 43.2MBps in downlink and 5.76MBps in uplink.
Unlike other European countries, Turkey has yet to get 4G LTE, with the country’s regulator set to hold an auction towards the end of 2015.
Ericsson said it also used its Enhanced Uplink Multi-Carrier (EUL-MC) technology, which can double uplink speeds, as part of the demonstration.
It said it allows uplink transmissions on two 5MHz carriers to happen at the same time, which offers users peak rates reaching 11.5MBps and as much as a 100 percent increase in user speed. Ericsson said this happens in spite of load conditions and across the entire network, from cell-centre to cell edge.
Ericsson said both technologies can be used by operators to increase capacity and peak data rates, as well as improve app coverage. It is planning to make them commercially available by the end of this year.