Ericsson has announced what it termed a ‘key step in the advancement of 5G global development’, revealing that in partnership with Australian mobile network operator (MNO) Telstra it has completed what it claims is the world’s first 5G data call using 26GHz millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum. In a press release announcing the development, Ericsson noted that, using the MNO’s production core network, it represented the first time the 26GHz band had been used in the field, with the 5G data call demonstration said to be the first in what will be a series of trials at a new 5G testing centre Telstra has established on the Gold Coast.
Commenting on the matter, Mike Wright, Telstra Group Managing Director, Networks, was cited as saying: ‘5G will mean we can use more and different spectrum bands to deliver faster speeds, more capacity and lower latency to our customers … We will conduct further tests with Ericsson to gain further insights into how mmWave 5G can be scaled and integrated into commercial mobile networks, as well as work with Australian industries to help them unlock future benefits and use cases based on 5G technology.’ To that end, it was noted that Telstra and Ericsson will trial associated 3GPP technologies at the Gold Coast testing centre, including MIMO antenna with adaptive beamforming and beam tracking techniques and OFDM-based waveforms.