OPTUS LAUNCHES WORLD FIRST COMMERCIAL 1X FDD + 2X TDD CARRIER AGGREGATION TECHNOLOGY

Selected Newcastle suburbs now online with Melbourne CBD switching on early September.

Optus is the first telecommunications provider in the world to deliver 3x Carrier Aggregation (3x CA) using 1x FDD + 2x TDD1 technology with commercial network software and a commercial device.

Following extensive development and testing, Optus has switched on 3x CA in the Newcastle NSW suburbs of Lambton, Mayfield and Mayfield West ahead of the first compatible category 9 devices being released commercially in Australia.

The addition of this 3x CA technology to the Optus 4G Plus network at these locations means Optus customers with the latest category 9 smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ and Samsung Galaxy Note 5 announced globally overnight, can experience significantly maximized mobile download speeds compared to a single 4G channel.

Dennis Wong, Acting Managing Director Optus Networks, said mobile data download speeds of 317Mbps were achieved today on the live network using a category 9 device at Mayfield West in Newcastle.

“Aggregating 1x FDD + 2x TDD carriers on a commercial network with a commercial device is a world first for Optus. It is a more efficient use of our spectrum bands and will provide a more consistent and better experience for our customers,” Mr Wong said.

We plan to switch on 3x CA technology in the Melbourne CBD in early September and roll out to the Sydney CBD early next year, followed by the Brisbane and Adelaide CBDs from mid-2016.

“While we look forward to 3x CA in category 9 devices, current Optus customers with category 6 devices can already enjoy the 2x Carrier Aggregation2 (2x CA) technology which are currently our fastest ever 4G speeds,” Mr Wong said.

2x CA is already available on the Optus 4G Plus network in selected areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and Darwin as well as 20 major regional centres.

“The 2x CA download speed boosts, as well as 3x CA development and roll out, are part of the overall and ongoing investment in the Optus 4G Plus network, which is continuing to expand across Australia,” Mr Wong said.

“We are working with global standards bodies and global vendors to continue our technology leadership by pushing the boundaries of LTE-Advanced and TDD-FDD convergence. With our metro spectrum assets, going from 3x CA to 4x CA and even 5x CA is possible in the future.”

Optus is the only Australian telco that provides 4G network access and Carrier Aggregation speed boost technology to wholesale service providers.

Media contact:

Matt Sun

Optus Corporate Affairs

(02) 8082 7850

Note to editors:

1 3x Carrier Aggregation on Optus 4G Plus is powered by the world’s first commercial 1x Frequency-Division Duplexing and 2x Time-Division Duplexing LTE Advanced network, using a unique combination of 20+20MHz of 2300 MHz and 15MHz paired of 1800 MHz spectrum.

2 2x Carrier Aggregation on the Optus 4G Plus network uses several combinations of 4G spectrum bands including 2300MHz and 2300MHz in selected capital cities, 700MHz and 1800MHz in selected capital cities and major metropolitan areas and 700 MHz and 2600MHz in major regional town centres.