In a world first, Ericsson and Telstra announce the first LTE 200km cell range capability on a commercial mobile broadband network. The first extended reach call was completed using a Telstra site at Mount Dowe in the Australian state of New South Wales and demonstrates that this new capability can deliver up to double the 4G cell range.
This new capability extends Telstra’s 4G cell range beyond the current 3GPP standards limit of 100km up to 200km. This breakthrough has been achieved via a software upgrade to Telstra’s world leading mobile network that is based on the Ericsson Radio System. This is a critical capability to enable the benefits of 4G broadband coverage to be shared over the full extent of Telstra’s mobile coverage footprint.
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Following successful testing and deployment, the capability will become commercially available later in 2020 across select locations, further boosting network coverage as demands continue to grow. This brings significant value for Telstra customers, especially for those in rural, regional, and offshore areas.
Head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand, Emilio Romeo, said, “We’re delighted to partner with Telstra as we continue to pursue mobile network innovations. This breakthrough means that with an Ericsson-developed software upgrade, we will be able to extend the current LTE call range from 100km up to 200km, catering to the unique needs of Australia, given its land mass and geographical size.”
This builds on a previous world first coverage milestone where Ericsson and Telstra achieved the world’s first 200km cell range via 3G in 2007.
“This latest milestone is a testament to our continued industry leadership in rural and regional areas,” Mr Romeo said.
Telstra Network Engineering Executive Channa Seneviratne said, “Effectively doubling the current 4G coverage range of a mobile base station is a huge win for regional and remote Australia. We live in a vast nation and fast data in more places is critical in ensuring that we are providing the best coverage for our customers, whether they’re in the city or the country.
“Telstra continually works with our partners like Ericsson to provide innovative solutions to meet our business and customer needs. Extending the coverage of a mobile base station through an innovative technical solution is yet another example of this collaboration. This solution will be considered as an option in certain locations to ensure that our LTE network has the coverage and capacity needed now and into the future.”
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