Singtel partners Ericsson and Samsung to boost LTE speeds beyond 300 Mbps

• Tri-band Carrier Aggregation trials to begin in Q2 2015
• To use Ericsson technology over Samsung Galaxy devices

SINGAPORE Telecommunications Ltd (Singtel) said it will soon deliver speeds beyond 300 Mbps for its customers, using Ericsson’s LTE-Advanced technology to deploy a tri-band Carrier Aggregation service.
 
Tri-band Carrier Aggregation (also called three-carrier LTE-Advanced) is a step up from the current dual-carrier LTE networks used by Singtel, the company said in a statement.
 
The technology combines bandwidth from three of Singtel’s spectrum bands to deliver higher performance mobile data services.
 
This will enable consumers to have a faster web browsing experience. Consumers will also be able to download applications, games, videos and music files in a shorter time.
 
“With smartphone penetration rates of over 85% in Singapore, data download speed is very important to our customers,” said Yuen Kuan Moon, chief executive officer of Singtel’s Consumer business.
 
“We were the first to introduce speeds of 300 Mbps last year, which were very well received by customers. This has given us the confidence to further improve and invest in this technology,” he added.
 
The tri-band Carrier Aggregation service will be progressively deployed in Singapore over the next two years, with trials beginning in the second quarter of 2015, Singtel said.
 
“As consumers, businesses and industries are transformed through mobility, network performance becomes a key differentiator,” said Nicholas Seow, country manager of Ericsson Singapore and Brunei.
 
“Carrier aggregation is an important LTE-Advanced feature that increases throughput and higher peak speeds for users,” he added.
 
Samsung will be providing devices for the trial. New handset models supporting tri-band Carrier Aggregation are expected to be available later this year.
 
Subscribers with this new category of handsets will be able to enjoy peak downlink speeds of up to 450 Mbps, significantly higher than the current 300 Mbps.
 
“We believe that compelling LTE smartphones are a key driving force in the expansion and acceleration of LTE technology,” said Yong Sung Jeon, president and chief executive officer, South-East Asia & Oceania, Samsung Asia Pte Ltd.
 
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