Claro has successfully completed a test of 5G-Advanced (5G-A) in Brasilia, achieving speeds exceeding 10 Gbps. Conducted in partnership with Huawei, this trial utilized a commercially active 5G antenna in Lago Sul and employed advanced mobile internet modems to combine frequencies. Given the lack of commercially available cell phones with 5G-A support, the test was pivotal.
Huawei supplied the necessary equipment and software for Claro’s 5G Standalone (SA) network. The trial aggregated 800 MHz of millimeter wave frequencies with existing 5G frequencies, resulting in a total bandwidth of 1,070 MHz. This setup enabled data transmission speeds of 10.4 Gbps, a notable improvement over conventional 5G capabilities.
Paulo Cesar Teixeira, CEO of Claro’s consumer and SME unit, emphasized the significance of the trial. “Technology evolves when we increase testing capacity and complexity. And that’s what we did in Brasília. We took the technology out of the four walls, out of the laboratory, and took 5G-A to the streets. There is certainly a long way to go in the evolution of 5G, in the use of frequencies, in the provision of equipment and in the market. But these are important results.”
Other Brazilian operators are also exploring 5G-A technology. In February, TIM announced a laboratory test achieving speeds of 11.6 Gbps, while Vivo reached 6.7 Gbps in a test during an employee convention in March.
Claro remains a leader in Brazil’s 5G market, holding 37.6% of the market share at the end of 2023, as reported by Anatel, the local telecom regulator.
Furthermore, Nokia recently announced that the 3GPP has concluded the specification of Release 18 for 5G-Advanced, marking it as ready and stable. This milestone allows handset manufacturers and network vendors to begin selling 5G-Advanced compliant solutions, ensuring future corrections won’t impact these handsets.
With these developments, the ecosystem can move forward confidently, knowing they are working with a stable and standardized specification. This promises a significant leap in the capabilities and commercial deployment of 5G-Advanced technology, setting the stage for yet more robust and high-speed wireless communications.
