Telstra has claimed an Australian first by recording mobile data speeds over 1Gbps on a commercial network.
The speeds were recorded on Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones on gigabit-enabled sections of Telstra's mobile network in Sydney. The highest speed recorded reached 1.03Gbps.
Telstra's head of mobiles Kevin Teoh said it was the first time that mobile data speeds had topped 1Gbps on a commercial network in Australia.
“Cracking the magic gigabit mark on smartphones is an exciting milestone. As smartphones evolve and we move into the 5G era there will be a new raft of sophisticated features that are enabled by reliably fast data speeds," said Teoh.
"High-quality augmented reality, virtual personal assistants that anticipate needs and virtual doctors that monitor vital signs are just some of the technologies that are on the horizon.”
While Teoh noted that customers with a Galaxy S9 or S9+ could sometimes see significantly higher speeds in gigabit-enabled areas, typical customer speeds would be less.
Telstra launched its commercial gigabit-enabled 4G service in early 2017, which covers a 3km radius in the Sydney and Melbourne CBDs and a 2km radius in Brisbane and Adelaide. Telstra said there was also a number of gigabit-enabled sites in high traffic locations, and a gigabit-LTE deployment underway in Perth.
Telstra is also gearing up to launch its 5G mobile network early next year, with plans to invest close to $5 billion on the new network and upgrades to existing 4G services. The new network will support both the sub 6GHz and mmWave spectrum, with tests showing speeds in excess of 3 Gbps and latency of 6 milliseconds between Gold Coast and Brisbane.
Source: https://www.crn.com.au/news/telstra-breaks-1gbps-barrier-on-commercial-network-487354
