BT has claimed a significant advance in the shift toward 5G standalone (SA) networks after completing a carrier aggregation (CA) trial in which it worked with Nokia to combine four spectrum channels on the live network of its EE subsidiary.
The company said it is the first operator in Europe to aggregate four carrier components in a live standalone 5G network.
Most 5G networks are currently non-standalone (NSA), meaning they run on a 4G core network, with the 4G control plane managing authorisation and calls.
This reduces the cost of initial 5G deployments, but the most anticipated 5G features require a standalone 5G core.
These features include low latency – required for industrial robots and self-driving cars – as well as private networks, achieved through network slicing, and support for massive internet-of-things (IoT) deployments.
A few operators have deployed standalone 5G networks, including T-Mobile in the US and several carriers in China, South Korea and Japan.
Carrier aggregation is an intermediate step toward standalone 5G, combining two or more bands, which can notably deliver higher bandwidth to users.
BT said BT Networks worked with Nokia to combine four low-band and mid-band radio channels – 2.1GHz, 2.6 GHz, 3.4 GHz and 3.6 GHz – using Nokia’s 5G Radio Access Network technology.
The first stage was conducted at BT’s Radio Lab in Bristol, with a second outdoor stage using a radio mast at BT’s Adastral Park in Suffolk using EE’s commercial radio spectrum.
It’s the first time in Europe that a network operator has achieved this level of carrier aggregation outside of a lab, BT said.
“As we migrate to a 5G standalone core network, this technology milestone is vital to giving our customers the best experience,” said BT managing director of service platforms Greg McCall.
BT acknowledged in February it was unlikely to be the first in Europe to deploy standalone 5G. McCall said the company is instead focused on “building the most advanced network for our customers”.
The company has previously said it’s hoping to launch standalone 5G early next year, when it believes the technology will be better supported by devices and will offer a noticeable improvement for users.
Two updates to Anthropic's AI chatbot Claude sees arrival of a new business-focused plan, as…
Most people in the United States view TikTok as a Chinese influence tool a poll…
UK regulator confirms it is investigating whether OnlyFans is doing enough to prevent children accessing…
Dismissed staff file complaint with a US labor board, and allege Google unlawfully terminated their…
Elon Musk dismisses two senior Tesla executives, plus the entire division that runs Tesla's Supercharger…
Eight newspaper publishers in the US allege Microsoft and OpenAI used their millions of their…