Swisscom is a claiming a European first after successfully hitting data transfer speeds of 1GBps on its mobile network in tests with Ericsson.
The operator is dubbing it LTE Advanced Pro and aiming to launch it in early 2017, coinciding with the first devices supporting the technology hitting the market. The tech offers upload speeds of 150MBps.
It said the volume of data transferred over its mobile broadband network is continuing to double year on year, with customers increasingly demanding about the quality of their data experience.
Heinz Herren, CTO and CIO at Swisscom, said: “At the beginning of this week, we were able to celebrate a first for Europe by achieving a transfer rate of 1 Gbps, thanks to our close collaboration with Ericsson. This success shows me that Swisscom is on the right path for innovation.”
Swisscom currently covers 98 percent of the country’s population with LTE, with LTE-Advanced rolled out to more than 100 locations, offering speeds of up to 300MBps. It added a selected number of locations can benefit from speeds of 450MBps.
Martin Bürki, CEO of Ericsson Switzerland, added: “Swisscom is one of the most innovative mobile providers worldwide. With Europe’s very first LTE Advanced Pro transfer of 1 Gbps live over Swisscom’s mobile broadband network, we are highlighting the innovative strength of our close and effective collaboration.”
In February, Swisscom appointed Ericsson to overhaul its core network.
It is also intending to switch off its 2G network by 2020 to free up resources for LTE.