• The achievement is a key milestone in the development of the company’s 5G network.
• The implementation is based on Ericsson’s 5G standalone (SA) solution that uses a combination of New Radio Dual Connectivity (NR-DC) and carrier aggregation (CA).
• The achievement facilitates use cases such as cloud gaming with AR & VR experiences, industrial IoT and smart factories.

Showcased at GITEX Global 2023, Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and etisalat by e& have successfully achieved a 5G downlink speed of more than 13 gigabits per second (Gbps), marking a key milestone in the advancement of etisalat  by e&’s 5G network to deliver superior radio access network (RAN) capacity and enhanced user experiences.

The implementation is based on Ericsson’s 5G standalone (SA) solution that uses a combination of New Radio Dual Connectivity (NR-DC) and carrier aggregation (CA) software features to aggregate nine carrier components from mid-band and millimeter wave (mmWave) with a total bandwidth of 900 MegaHertz.  

This impressive level of high data speeds will help meet the rising demand for high-quality connectivity while facilitating exciting use cases – from cloud gaming with augmented and virtual reality experiences to fixed wireless access (FWA), advanced video streaming, industrial Internet of Things, and smart factories.  

Khalid Murshed, Chief Technology & Information Officer at etisalat by e&, says: “We take pride in bringing the latest advancements in 5G technology to the UAE, achieving the highest 5G throughput of more than 13Gbps over our commercial network.  As a global technology leader and our trusted partner in innovation, Ericsson has played a key role in fulfilling our continued commitment towards building a flagship network that is capable of delivering a premium end-user experience. We are currently considering deploying this site model in areas with increased 5G capacity demands, including stadiums, sports and event venues, and metro stations.”

Ekow Nelson, Vice President and Head of Global Customer Unit for e& at Ericsson Middle East and Africa, says: “At Ericsson, we are keen to support etisalat by e& in building and operating one of the best-in-class 5G networks globally in line with UAE Vision 2031. Together, we are working to maximise the potential of the latest Ericsson Radio System portfolio, and we are proud to have jointly reached this latest record downlink speed.”

Ericsson has a long-standing partnership with etisalat by e&, where both companies are working closely together to deliver a state-of-the-art 5G network, allowing consumers, enterprises, and industries to reap the benefits of enriched connectivity and enhanced mobility.

Additional technical information

For this implementation, the two companies used RAN Processor 6651, which is one of Ericsson’s most powerful, flexible and energy efficient RAN Compute products and is considered an optimum choice for implementations that have a combination of 5G mid-band and 5G high-band. The milestone was also based on 5G Standalone (SA) deployment, where New Radio Dual Connectivity (NR-DC) together with carrier aggregation (CA) software features made it possible to effectively aggregate 1x100MHz carrier component in mid-band with 8x100MHz carrier components in high-band, leading to a total 5G download capacity of more than 13Gbps that got distributed among two simultaneous 5G users during the testing activity.