The report follows on from a number of reports in the last few weeks from operators getting closer and closer to 1Gbps.
In this latest test, 24 terminals downloaded file transfer protocol data simultaneously at a rate of 956Mbps on a 20MHz bandwidth.
SoftBank’s equipment partner in this test was Chinese vendor ZTE, working on a project called Wireless City Planning. It was said to be the first practical test in a commercial network after ZTE achieved the rate of 1.1Gbps in a field test in Shenzhen, China.
SoftBank is ZTE’s first pilot partner in the Smart Life project, which aims to enhance the overall performance of operators’ networks and users’ experience and reduce per-bit investment costs. The aim is to enable networks to evolve in time to 5G standards.
Bai Yanmin, general manager of ZTE’s TDD and 5G products, said: “Smart Life is an important strategic project of ZTE. In the next three to five years before and after 5G commercialisation, we will make cooperative planning and joint verification with operators to provide technical solutions and support for user experience services in the 5G/pre5G network, such as mobile bandwidth, IoT, and ultra-low latency.”
Bai added: “In the future, ZTE will join hands with more partners to expand the Smart Life project.”
