Bell’s LTE-A Wireless Network Achieves Gigabit Speeds in Testing

Bell has announced it has achieved data speeds of a Gigabit per second (Gbps) on its LTE-A wireless network, in recent deployment testing.

The company says the successful Gigabit LTE-A test was completed in Mississauga, Ontario, with plans to roll out the enhanced network in 2018 as smartphones begin to support these higher speeds, in various markets throughout Canada.

“Canada’s Best National Network keeps getting better as Bell’s commitment to broadband investment and innovation drives LTE speeds and coverage to unprecedented levels,” said Stephen Howe, Bell’s Chief Technology Officer, in a press release. “With theoretical speeds as high as 1.5 Gbps, Bell’s enhanced LTE-A network will be ready as our smartphone partners launch their new generation of Gigabit-capable devices.”

Bell explains it is using a combination of carrier aggregation and 4X4 MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology to boost speeds to Gigabit levels on its LTE-A network, which increases spectrum efficiency and multiplies capacity. The company says Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) technology will also be supported to aggregate unlicensed 5GHz spectrum with LTE in licensed bands for faster transfer speeds.

Last year, Bell says it reached 99% coverage of the Canadian population with its LTE network, while also emphasized it was the “first carrier in North America to deliver Quad Band LTE-A theoretical speeds of up to 750 Megabits per second.”