There's a new speed record over a 4G LTE network

Verizon, Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies have managed to exceed the Gigabit speed barrier over LTE.

Together the companies were able to reach download speeds of 1.07 Gbps during an Ericsson lab trial using the Qualcomm Snapdragon X20 LTE Modem which is the first modem to support Category 18 LTE speeds.

Verizon recently announced that it had reached Gigabit LTE speeds earlier this month and the new milestone builds on the previous achievement.

Ericsson provided the Radio System and LTE software that ran in conjunction with a mobile test device based on the Snapdragon X20 LTE modem. The speed of 1.07 Gbps was reached by using all licensed band combinations along with 12 LTE streams with three cell carrier aggregation of FDD spectrum and 4X4 multiple in, multiple out (MIMO) per carrier which used multiple antennae at the cell tower and on the mobile test device to optimize data speeds. Also, 256 QAM per carrier was used to allow the test device and network to exchange large amounts of information at the same time which enhanced data speeds.

Qualcomm North America president Mike Finley noted how the success of the test would pave the way for the future development of 5G, saying:

"Qualcomm Technologies has been at the forefront of driving Gigabit LTE in the industry. Our work with Verizon and Ericsson has allowed us to be first in surpassing the Gigabit speed barrier with our Snapdragon X20 LTE modem. This is an important milestone on the path to 5G that will allow for better average speeds for all users and will drive new and exciting consumer experiences."

Increases in LTE speeds will benefit both businesses and consumers as the industry prepares for 5G and the next generation of mobile networks.

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