Ericsson and MediaTek became the latest players to talk-up the prospects of aggregating high- and mid-band spectrum on a single 5G device, claiming the pair’s latest test achieved a milestone speed of 5.1Gb/s.

The revelation was made in a statement released on the same day as Qualcomm unveiled trials of test data calls combining mmWave and sub-6GHz spectrum over a standalone (SA) 5G network.

Ericsson noted its “5G Dual Connectivity” trial aggregated 800MHz of high-band spectrum with 60MHz of mid-band spectrum on a single device, adding the demonstration had “successfully showed that mmWave can be used robustly” in a SA 5G architecture.

This, it lauded as allowing a “significant coverage increase” for SA 5G networks, with improved up- and downlink data rates beyond those currently being achieved.

Ericsson pointed to several potential high-demand use cases helped by combining assets associated with different spectrum frequencies in both fixed-wireless access and mobile settings, including gaming and immersive media.

Hannes Ekstrom, head of product line for 5G RAN, said dual connectivity would be a “very appealing option” to operators globally as they move to SA 5G, adding the technology would “enable mmWave in the multi-layer network with speeds of over 5Gb/s”.