Ericsson and Entel Chile first in Latin America to reach up to 250 Mbps with LTE-Advanced

September 22, 2015, 20:00 (CEST)

• Ericsson and Entel Chile demonstrate Latin America's first data transmission over combined 2600 MHz and 700 MHz spectrum bands in a commercial network

• The trial demonstrates over-the-air LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation with speeds up to 250Mbps

• LTE-Advanced technology enables higher data speeds which increases network capacity and enhances the consumer experience

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and Entel Chile have announced the successful demonstration of an end-to-end LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) Carrier Aggregation (CA) solution capable of supporting data speeds up to 250 Mbps. The demonstration took place in September 22 and was performed using Ericsson Networks Software 14A on both 2600 MHz and APT700 MHz spectrum bands on a commercial network, using a commercial terminal. Entel is the first operator in Latin America to test 250 Mbps speed in a commercial LTE network.

LTE-A Carrier Aggregation is the next step in the evolution of high-speed mobile broadband services, enabling operators to make the most of their existing spectrum assets by combining multiple spectrum bands to enable higher mobile broadband download speeds and deliver a better user experience to customers. Mobile users can enjoy super-fast downloads and better performance of their favorite applications.

Antonio Büchi, CEO of Entel, says: "Our challenge in the telecommunications industry is to continually innovate and advance toward more and better connectivity, so that the technology serves the needs of society. This is why we wanted to be once again at the forefront and be the first in the technology field to show that in the future we will provide our users with the most advanced mobile network in Chile and Latin America, and we expect to have a significant impact on the country's development."

Nicolas Brancoli, Vice President of Ericsson Latin America, says: "Mobile broadband is opening up a world of opportunities by facilitating industry transformation. Using LTE-A technology, operators can increase their network capacity and enhance the mobile broadband user experience. This demo places Entel on the very limited list of operators in the world to demonstrate LTE-A in a live network using a commercial terminal. We are very proud to have partnered with Entel in this achievement, further extending our long-standing relationship."

Ericsson's long-term partnership with Entel has yielded several outstanding achievements in the development of mobile broadband in Chile and Latin America. This announcement is indicative of a joint commitment to continued innovation and development in telecommunications.

Ericsson is present today in all high-traffic LTE markets, including the United States, Japan and South Korea, and is ranked first for handling the most global LTE traffic - 40 percent of the world's mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson networks, which is twice as much mobile traffic as the closest competitor. Ericsson is number one in LTE market share within the world's top 100 cities.

To meet the growing demand for mobile broadband, Ericsson is delivering LTE-Advanced solutions to expand LTE coverage and capacity. These include carrier aggregation for delivering high-speed mobile data across the network, advanced antenna technologies for better coverage and cell data throughput, and small cell integration to deliver real network performance within heterogeneous networks, in addition to other LTE enhancements.