Ericsson and Telefonica first to bring 288 Mbps LTE-Advanced data speeds to Argentina

• Ericsson and Telefonica demonstrate Argentina's first data transmission over combined AWS and APT700 MHz spectrum bands in a commercial network
• Trial demonstrates over-the-air LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation with speeds up to 288 Mbps
• LTE-Advanced technology enables higher data speeds, which increases network capacity and enhances the consumer experience

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and Telefonica have announced the successful demonstration of an end-to-end LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) Carrier Aggregation (CA) solution capable of supporting data speeds up to 288 Mbps.

The demonstration took place at Telefonica's laboratories in Buenos Aires and was performed using Ericsson hardware and Ericsson Networks Software 15B on both 1700/2100 MHz Advanced Wireless Service (AWS) and APT700 MHz spectrum bands on a commercial network, using a commercial terminal. Telefonica is the first operator in Argentina to test 288 Mbps speed in an LTE-Advanced network.

This speed test improved upon results from an earlier phase, in which 140 Mbps was reached on a commercial network using available bandwidth.

LTE-A Carrier Aggregation is the next step in the evolution of high-speed mobile broadband services, enabling operators to make the most of their existing spectrum assets by combining multiple spectrum bands to enable higher mobile broadband download speeds and deliver a better user experience to customers. Mobile users can enjoy super-fast downloads and better performance of their favorite applications.

Daniel D'Andrea, Radio Access Manager, Telefónica Argentina, says: "It's great to be the first to try this technology in Argentina, and we are ready to offer our customers this experience that allows them to enjoy speeds of hundreds of megabits per second on their mobile phones.

Eduardo Castañon, Head of Network Products, Ericson Region Latin America, Ericsson, says: "Ericsson's latest ConsumerLab report shows that the number of users with smartphones continues to grow in Argentina. LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation is a key technology evolution that enables Telefonica Argentina to keep pace with user expectations on data quality and network availability under this data-driven scenario. We are excited to have reached this LTE milestone together with Telefonica, and look forward to continuing our partnership for empowering the Networked Society in Argentina."

Ericsson's long-term partnership with Telefonica has yielded several outstanding achievements in the development of mobile broadband in Argentina. This announcement is indicative of a joint commitment to continued innovation and development in telecommunications in the country.

Ericsson is present today in all high-traffic LTE markets, including the United States, Japan and South Korea, and is ranked first for handling the most global LTE traffic – 40 percent of the world's mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson networks. More than 250 LTE RAN and Evolved Packet Core networks have been delivered by Ericsson worldwide, of which 190 are live commercially.

To meet the growing demand for mobile broadband, Ericsson is delivering LTE-Advanced solutions to expand LTE coverage and capacity. These include carrier aggregation for delivering high-speed mobile data across the network, advanced antenna technologies for better coverage and cell data throughput, and small cell integration to deliver real network performance within heterogeneous networks, in addition to other LTE enhancements.