When Vodafone tested the use of 1024 QAM tech in Spain, it recorded peak download speeds of just under 1.8Gbit/s
Vodafone Group tested the use of 1024 QAM technology on its 5G infrastructure with partners Qualcomm and Xiaomi to improve its network capacity.
Conducted in both Germany and Spain, the trials looked at the transmission of video and data from the RAN to a Xiaomi 5G-capable 14 Ultra smartphone equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X75 5G Modem-RF System. The test was run over a Time Division Duplexing (TDD) spectrum band, which uses a single frequency for both uplink and downlink.
QAM, or Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, represents discrete phases of magnitude that can be transmitted to the carrier and utilizes both amplitude and phase components to provide a form of modulation that can provide high levels of spectrum usage efficiency. The test in Germany showed a network throughput improvement of approximately 20% over a distance of up to 600 meters, and in Spain, Vodafone recorded peak download speeds of just under 1.8 Gbit/s.
In January, the trio tested advanced 5G uplink technology, achieving peak upload speeds of up to 273 Mbps. “This is more than double the average uplink speed of today’s smartphones and home broadband services,” claimed the companies. The uplink test combined Vodafone’s new 5G Standalone (5G SA) networks in Germany and Spain with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform and the next Xiaomi flagship smartphone.
“Vodafone is at the forefront of the next wave of innovation in 5G,” commented Vodafone’s Chief Network Officer Alberto Ripepi. “Our customers will benefit from a head start when the next generation smartphones become more widely available, and we can offer our technical expertise to partners and other providers through our new commercial model.”