QUALCOMM, EE AND HUAWEI have successfully completed a 4G trial to improve speeds and internet connection reliability on mobile devices, achieving download speeds of up to 410Mbps.
The LTE Category 9 testing is the first of its kind in Europe and will look to dramatically improve EE mobile broadband speeds across greater areas.
The firms claim that the test has proved the operator can aggregate 20MHz of 1800MHz spectrum with another 20MHz of 2.66GHz, and a third carrier of 15MHz of 2.6GHz.
Conducted using QTI's Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with an integrated LTE-Advanced modem, testing was completed on Huawei's commercial infrastructure solution across EE's LTE-A 4G+ network.
"[We] have successfully completed inter-company interoperability testing of LTE Category 9 connectivity with three-carrier downlink aggregation and download speeds of up to 410Mbps," said Qualcomm.
"Transitioning from Category 6 to Category 9 LTE-A connectivity will mean 1.5x faster peak download speeds, swift application response times, reliable connectivity and connections to the fastest networks."
EE said that using its remaining 15MHz of the 2.6GHz spectrum enables the fastest speeds and an increase in capacity across its network. The operator will demonstrate these new faster speeds at Wembley Stadium early next year.
"Working closely with the excellent teams at Qualcomm and Huawei on the next generation LTE Category 9 connectivity enables us to make full use of our spectrum holdings, and continue to offer world class network capabilities, innovating to stay one step ahead of operators in Europe," said EE's director of network services and devices, Tom Bennett.
This isn't the first time EE and Huawei have collaborated. Back in 2012 the pair teamed up to launch the UK's first 4G LTE network.
Huawei described the test as "a truly ground breaking moment" in the move towards the 5G era. However, none of the firms confirmed when these speeds will become a reality.
