Optus demonstrates technology leadership as it showcases 5G FDD and TDD Carrier Aggregation

Demonstrating its 5G technology leadership Optus has today achieved another 5G milestone by combining 2100 MHz spectrum with 3500 MHz spectrum for the first time, through the use of 5G carrier aggregation and spectrum sharing technology, which will deliver customers with super-fast speeds and increased 5G coverage.

Working together with technology partners Ericsson and Samsung the testing was completed at a live 5G site on non-stand-alone architecture in Sydney using a Samsung S21 device. The combination of 5G FDD 2100MHz and 5G TDD 3500 MHz allows the simultaneous use of both 5G and 4G, enabling faster data speeds and improved network performance – which is great news for Optus 5G customers as this technology is rolled out over the coming months.

“The deliberate and clever combination of our spectrum assets means that we are able to pull through the benefits of increased coverage thanks to the 2100Mhz band, coupled with the improved capacity offered by the 3500Mhz spectrum,” said Lambo Kanagaratnam, Optus Managing Director Networks.

“This is important as increased coverage, capacity and speed will enable even more customers to enjoy the benefits of our super-fast 5G network for data hungry apps, high-resolution video-streaming, large file downloads and other data centric, cloud-based applications,”

“As a technology innovator, we have focussed on futureproofing our 5G rollout from the outset which, together with our partners, has allowed us to provide our customers with a fast and flexible 5G network that is paving the way for the delivery of exciting new 5G experiences in both the consumer and enterprise market.”

“We are pleased to support Optus in delivering another 5G milestone,” said Martin Wiktorin, Head of Ericsson Global Customer Unit Singtel. “With 8.8 billion 5G subscriptions forecasted globally by 2026, this achievement ensures that Australians will continue to have access to the best 5G technology.”

Garry McGregor, Vice President, Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics Australia said, “Samsung Galaxy devices are engineered to open new experiences for our customers and also help support our partners in breaking new ground for network performance and innovation. Our commitment in Australia is to ensure that Samsung is at the forefront of industry developments through ongoing collaboration with our partners.”

Optus currently has more than 1000 5G sites across Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra as well as key areas outside of these cities.

Media enquiries:

Anna Garcia

Optus Corporate Affairs

media@optus.com.au

Tel: (02) 8082 7850