Optus Pioneers 3X Carrier Aggregation for LTE, Delivering Speeds up to 317 Mbps

Australian mobile operator Optus has become the first telecommunications provider in the world to aggregate three different frequency bands, using both frequency division and time division multiplexing to support its fourth generation Long Term Evolution services.

The Optus “3x Carrier Aggregation” (3x CA) system combines 1x FDD and 2x TDD1 formats to supply the Newcastle NSW suburbs of Lambton, Mayfield and Mayfield West.

The move means Optus customers with the latest LTE category 9 smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ and Samsung Galaxy Note 5, will experience speeds as high as 317 Mbps.

“We plan to switch on 3x CA technology in the Melbourne CBD in early September and roll out to the Sydney CBD early next year, followed by the Brisbane and Adelaide CBDs from mid-2016,” said Dennis Wong, Acting Managing Director Optus Networks.