Telstra and Ericsson have conducted what the companies said was a world first: A trial data call over spectrum in the 26GHz (mmWave) band, which is expected to be used for some 5G services.
Telstra said it is the first time the frequency has been used in the field.
The call was conducted at Telstra’s 5G testing centre on the Gold Coast.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) revealed in September that it is considering an accelerated release of spectrum in the 26GHz band.
“5G will mean we can use more and different spectrum bands in order to deliver faster speeds, more capacity and lower latency to our customer,” said Telstra group managing director networks, Mike Wright.
“This will support a range of different applications, everything from data-heavy applications like virtual reality to highly reliable, low latency communications for smart cities and autonomous cars.”
“There’s huge demand for data and new applications from our customers and this trial is about demonstrating that our industry is ready to utilise spectrum in the mmWave band,” the Telstra executive said.
Wright said additional tests at the Gold Coast facility will deliver “further insights into how mmWave 5G can be scaled and integrated into commercial mobile networks as well as working with Australian industries to help them unlock future benefits and use cases based on 5G technology.”
The ACMA recently revealed that it has begun the process of reallocating spectrum in the 3.6GHz band for use in 5G services.
The federal government is convening a working group to assess issues and opportunities for the adoption of 5G.