TIM speeds the way to 5G, conducting field tests in Turin, with download speeds of more than 500 Mbps on a single data connection on the LTE live network. TIM is actually the first operator in Italy, and one of the first in the world to introduce 4.5G technology, which raises transmission speed and web browsing quality through the LTE network, thanks to the adoption of special techniques on the mobile network and compatible handsets.
After being the first in Italy to launch 4G Plus (Advanced LTE), reaching a maximum speed of 300 Mbps, currently offered on the LTE network in eight cities (Rome, Milan, Genoa, Turin, Naples, Prato, Verona and Palermo), the company has reached this further milestone, confirming its central role in innovation of the ultrabroadband networks.
The successful tests, first in the innovation labs in Turin and then in the field, on the radio base stations of the city, produced this important result, which in the future will make new download speeds of over 500 Mbps available to customers. Specifically, these new performances were achieved by broadening the spectrum of all the frequencies available for a single data connection - combining LTE frequency bands through Carrier Aggregation - and increasing spectral efficiency (meaning transmission speed, at the same available band), through evolutions in the antenna transmission systems and coding and modulation techniques.
The project also involved collaboration with Ericsson who made available technological solutions, based on new Ericsson Radio System and network advanced services, and Qualcomm Technologies Inc. , who provided test terminals with Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ LTE X16 modem. Over the next few months, TIM will continue to extend such evolutions in the LTE network of the major Italian cities, to offer 4.5G service to its customers when the first compatible commercial devices arrive, which is expected to be by the end of the year.
“We are proud to have reached this major milestone that confirms our commitment to offering the most advanced technology that, with our substantial investments in increasingly fast and reliable infrastructure, allows us to guarantee better quality mobile digital services to provide maximum satisfaction to our customers", - stated Giovanni Ferigo, Head of Technology at TIM - “Our research and development capacities have allowed us to confirm our leadership in the innovation of mobile ultrabroadband networks. The milestone of 4.5G, which anticipates and paves the way for 5G, allows us to offer the best performances and to increase network capacity to meet the growing demand for mobile ultrabroadband linked to the explosion in video content, including HD and 4K, and of social networking and in general the new digital services that transform our lives on a daily basis”.
Rome, 21 October 2016
