MTN records 10.35Gbit/s in South African 5G-Advanced trial

MTN recorded a peak 10.35Gbit/s download speed in a 5G-Advanced trial at its headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The test used the upper 6GHz band, which South Africa has identified for mobile broadband but has not yet assigned to any operator.

The speed came from controlled conditions at one site, so it is not a speed customers should expect.

MTN worked with Huawei and used 400MHz of spectrum, a standalone 5G core network and antennas that focus signals on devices.

The band could support faster mobile services and wireless home broadband, as well as add capacity in busy places.

The decision to identify the band for mobile use was welcomed by mobile operators, while Wi-Fi advocates had argued for licence-exempt access.

The spectrum has not yet been assigned, and the identification does not rule out other uses such as Wi-Fi.