Ericsson and MediaTek laid claim to having achieved a 5G downlink speed record for carrier aggregation (CA) comprising one FDD and three TDD channels, a combination promoted by the Swedish vendor as increasing 5G deployment options.

In a statement, Ericsson noted in the interoperability development test achieved a downlink speed of 4.36Gb/s from four-component CA. The test employed the vendor’s radios and a MediaTek 5G modem.

The vendor added it had used one low-band and three mid-band channels in the sub-7GHz range, where most 5G data traffic is carried.

Ericsson explained the band combination had the ability to offer end-users faster downloads and streaming for fixed wireless terminals and smartphones, while maximising the use of operator spectrum assets.

Its head of product line 5G RAN Sibel Tombaz added Ericsson is “persistently exploring all possible frequency band combinations to boost capacity and coverage” adding CA “is a game changer when it comes to optimising the combined bandwidth of allocated spectrum assets to deliver higher date rates for a greater number of users”.

The result of the test is the latest breakthrough claimed by the pair and comes as Ericsson and its rivals continue to parade the improving capabilities of their respective 5G equipment.