Optus today revealed that trials of an advanced 4G LTE network have resulted in speeds of up to 480Mbps, or nearly 5 times the maximum advertised speed of its current 4G network.
The tests were conducted on Optus ‘Gigasites’, live test networks built by the telco to test out different aspects of the network. This particular trial tests 4x4 multiple input-multiple out (MIMO) aggregation technology, which essentially allows Optus to bond four separate 4G channels into a single download link.
The test has yielded varying results so far, from 415Mbps indoors at Optus HQ to a more ‘real-world’ speed of 320Mbps outdoors near the Gigasite base station in Lambton, a suburb in Newcastle, NSW.
If speeds like this were made commercially available, users could download a full HD Hollywood blockbuster in less than a minute.
While much of this might sound like the sort of science fiction that will never see the light of day, it is important to remember that you may be already using a variation of this technology right now. 2x2 MIMO carrier aggregation is a big part of how Telstra and Optus have developed 4GX and 4G Plus network technologies, respectively. Vodafone is also starting to roll out 4G network speeds that take advantage of bonded network channels.
You do need the latest hardware to take advantage of these current network advancements though. Telstra and Optus both point to the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 as the phone of choice for now, though you can be sure that 2015 will be a year full of very, very fast 4G phones.
Joseph Hanlon
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