They trialled 1024 QAM TDD tech in Germany and Spain to achieve download speeds close to 1.8Gbps – with a next-gen smartphone
Vodafone, Qualcomm Technologies and Xiaomi have built on previous collaboration testing a new 5G technology in Germany and Spain that can download at almost 1.8Gbps – with a new smartphone. So don’t try this at home.
In January, the trio carried out the first European technical test of Uplink Carrier Aggregation with Tx switching to achieve peak upload speeds of up to 273Mbps. Most smartphones and home broadband services have average upload speed of 100 Mbps.
Expanding QAM
The tech in question in today’s announcement is 1024 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), as opposed to today’s 256 QAM, which packs more data into each transmission, enabling faster downloads.
1024 QAM is defined in 3GPP Release 17 specifications. In the Vodafone trials, the 1024 QAM technology was used with a time division duplexing (TDD) spectrum band as a way to send and receive data within pre-determined time slots on the same frequency – 3.5GHz in this case. Vodafone says it will continue to test drive 1024 QAM-compatible networking equipment and devices ahead of their commercial deployment.
Note that in April, Samsung Electronics and Qualcomm Technologies announced the completion of 1024 QAM tests in both frequency division duplex (FDD) and TDD spectrum bands, which marked an industry-first for FDD.
Freeing up capacity
1024 QAM’s increase speed and data throughout makes more efficient use of spectrum, making more bandwidth available at mobile sites to improve all customers’ holistic experience.
The same was said in an announcement earlier this week about Vodafone working with Meta to optimise spectrum’s efficiency for short-form video. The work outlined in today’s announcement and that with Meta is designed specifically to boost capacity at busy mobile sites in areas like shopping centres that have a high density of users in peak hours.
1.8 Gbps peak download
The latest trials used Xiaomi’s smartphone, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X75 5G Modem-RF System.
In Germany, Vodafone’s engineering team measured a 20% improved throughput on the commercial network over a distance of up to 600 meters. At Vodafone’s 5G test centre in Ciudad Real, Spain, the team achieved peak 5G download speed of nearly 1.8 Gbps.
Theoretically, 1.8 Gbps could boost capacity by up to 25% in ideal conditions. Vodafone expects the tech to become more widely available during 2025.
Readying for commercial use
Alberto Ripepi, Chief Network Officer of Vodafone, said, “Vodafone is at the forefront of the next wave of innovation in 5G. Our customers will benefit from a head start when the next generation smartphones become more widely available, and we can offer our technical expertise to partners and other providers through our new commercial model.”
Dino Flore, Vice President, Technology of Qualcomm Europe, added, “The successful trials conducted in Germany and Spain with Vodafone and Xiaomi are proof that we are continuing to push the boundaries of what is possible with 5G technology.”
Guoquan Zhang, General Manager of Xiaomi Software Department, said, “It demonstrates how Xiaomi is actively driving and showing innovation in the 5G space.”