Skip navigation
Carrier Aggregation in 5G

Carrier Aggregation in 5G

Coverage Boost powered by Advanced RAN Coordination

Extend coverage and increase capacity with carrier aggregation

Coverage and capacity are the key elements of an optimal 5G user experience. Carrier aggregation is the foundation for a better 5G, an effective tool to extend the coverage of mid and high-band that leads also to an increased capacity. Carrier aggregation is powered by the innovative Advanced RAN Coordination to allow full deployment flexibility and uncompromised user throughput.

See what carrier aggregation can do for your network

5G Carrier Aggregation -with Coverage Boost- powered by Advanced RAN Coordination is a versatile and blended solution for high-performing 5G networks. It is a game-changer for delivering extended coverage and increased network capacity while supporting

Extend coverage area of mid-band TDD

By activating inter-band NR carrier aggregation, the cell coverage area of mid-band TDD extends by a 2.5 factor.

That equals a 25% increase in the population covered.

Achieve deployment flexibility

Advanced RAN Coordination can be utilized to separate basebands more than 50 km—giving you full network deployment flexibility while upholding optimal user throughput.

Increase capacity

With inter-band NR carrier aggregation activated, network capacity increases; the result of extended coverage is higher offload from FDD, higher user throughput at the cell edge, and increased capacity.

Expand coverage of high-band

Activating inter-band NR carrier aggregation on high-bands allows the cell coverage area to extend—by a 4 factor.

The challenge

To meet the ever-growing demand for wireless data and applications, service providers must find new sources of spectrum sharing while using existing spectrum efficiently. 

In addition to enabling new applications and delivering higher data speeds, 5G is unlocking new sources of spectrum in both the mid-band and high-band radio frequencies. Though these new bands are a welcome addition to a service provider’s spectrum assets, the mid and high-band coverage is limited by the radio uplink signal quality and characteristics associated with operating within the higher bands.  

To maximize the benefits provided by these new bands, solutions are needed to extend cell coverage.

Challenges with extending cell coverage - answer carrier aggregation

The solution

Ericsson has addressed the 5G mid-band and high-band coverage limitations by developing a flexible 5G Carrier Aggregation solution which supports control and data traffic on the uplink using a lower frequency band which increases coverage, and on the downlink with a mid or high-frequency band which increases capacity and data throughput. 

With Ericsson 5G Carrier Aggregation, a service provider can support the 5G uplink operating on a lower band with the 5G downlink operating on a mid, or high-band thereby providing the best of all worlds—better coverage, increased capacity, and higher data speeds.

 

Low, mid, and high-band radio frequencies have different coverage characteristics which means the supporting radio and RAN Compute baseband units are geographically dispersed in different locations across the coverage area. 

Real-time coordination with less than a one millisecond delay between the baseband units is required to obtain the full benefits of 5G carrier aggregation. To achieve this, Ericsson’s Advanced RAN Coordination provides an E5 interface to enable instant inter-baseband coordination with a delay well below the 1 millisecond requirement.

This ensures the tight, real-time coordination of the baseband equipment enabling 5G carrier aggregation with high performance, low latency, and greater spectral efficiency.  

Carrier aggregation in 5G – The solution

The benefits

A better 5G network will provide more subscribers with higher data speeds while enabling a host of new, low latency applications.

Aggregating a 5G low-band with a 5G mid-band can improve mid-band coverage by up to 7dB extending the cell coverage area by up to 2.5 times and increasing the population that can be supported by the mid-band by up to 25%.  The higher available capacity means that more traffic can be offloaded on to mid-band 5G -which uses spectrum more efficiently than 4G-, leading to an overall capacity increase of 27%.

Aggregating a 5G low-band with a 5G high-band can improve high-band coverage by up to 10dB extending the high-band cell coverage area by up to 3.7 times.  The extended mid-band and high-band coverage also enable a greater offload of traffic from the lower bands to the mid and high-bands providing a higher throughput at the cell edge.

27% Increase in network capacity 25% Increase in population covered by mid-band TDD in DL
Maximize mid-band coverage with low-band and carrier aggregation

 

Latest Carrier Aggregation software enhancements

Automated Carrier Aggregation

Ericsson ́s innovative Automated Carrier Aggregation software feature increases operational efficiency and secures optimal performance by automatically configuring cell relations for 5G Carrier Aggregation low/mid-band without any manual effort from service providers.

Read the press release

Carrier Aggregation Data Steering

Innovative software feature to maximize return on mid-band spectrum investment with:

  • Intelligent scheduling on the best carrier
  • Improved user experience for non-carrier aggregation users and carrier aggregation users in coverage extension zone
  • Increased network capacity and load balancing
Read the press release

Latest insights

The power of 5G Carrier Aggregation

Our experts will take you on deep dive into the technical side of Carrier Aggregation and showcase why it is a game-changer for delivering extended coverage, increased network capacity and maximized spectral efficiency for 5G networks everywhere. Learn more about why Carrier Aggregation is the foundation for deploying high-performing 5G networks.

Read the blog

Accelerating 5G coverage and capacity

Service providers are seeking to maximize the value of their 5G mid-band spectrum.  Join us to explore how Ericsson’s new ultra-lightweight mid-band Massive MIMO portfolio enables faster and easier rollouts. With 5G carrier aggregation and Uplink Booster capabilities, we deliver industry-leading network performance. These enhanced capabilities provide service providers greater flexibility and efficiency in the delivery of 5G services while boosting 5G performance.​

Contemplating coverage: to extend or not to extend with 5G carrier aggregation

Connectivity takes center stage in today’s drama, and as the plot unfolds, Ericsson 5G carrier aggregation – our latest game-changer – provides just the kind of coverage needed to meet the demands of the day.

Read the blog post

Why carrier aggregation is key to driving early 5G market success

Service providers who are now starting to deploy mid-band spectrum can extend 5G coverage by as much as 50 percent through 5G carrier aggregation. This boost to the 5G experience will be key to defining early 5G market success in Europe and Latin America. Learn why carrier aggregation is the key to a full 5G experience.

Read the blog post

Soft 5G? 5G NR Carrier aggregation and Uplink Booster

5G is not just about hardware! Talking Massive MIMO, Ericsson Uplink Booster and 5G NR arrier aggregation with Sebastian Faxér and Björn Karlberg from Ericsson's product management team. 5G podcast -Episode 56.

Listen to the podcast

Customer references

Ericsson hits 5.7Gbps record speed in downlink 6CC data call

Ericsson revs up the tempo on 5G Carrier Aggregation by combining six component carriers to set a record download speed of 5.7Gbps for the world’s first 6CC (component carrier) data call.

New record upload speed to benefit FWA market

Building on recent milestones, Ericsson and chipset partner MediaTek have once again raised the bar on industry uplink speed with a record-setting 565Mbps throughput. This is great news for fixed wireless access (FWA) users who stand to benefit from much higher upload speeds and capacity.

Ericsson and MediaTek set 5G upload speed record of 440Mbps

Ericsson and MediaTek have set a new 5G upload speed record of 440 Mbps in low-band and mid-band spectrum using Uplink Carrier Aggregation. The zippy uplink speed brings better, smoother experiences for the likes of video conference users, streamers, and their audience with more frames per second and higher image resolution.

Ericsson and MediaTek perform 5G Carrier Aggregation

Ericsson and MediaTek have successfully merged four channels – one FDD and three TDD– to deliver a downlink speed of 4.36 Gbps, the highest known speed based on this band combination. This four-component carrier (4CC) aggregation combination will increase the 5G deployment options for communications service providers by blending different frequency bands.

T-Mobile pursues a multi-band 5G spectrum strategy

T-Mobile’s strategy relies on using dedicated spectrum for 5G services, in all low/mid and high-band types. Let´s have a look how T-Mobile took their 5G spectrum strategy to the next level, leveraging inter-band 5G Carrier Aggregation.

Telia and Ericsson first to trial 5G carrier aggregation in the Nordics

To support Telia’s nationwide 10 Hot Consumer Trends - Reports and papers with further enhanced capacity, coverage, and speed, Telia and Ericsson have launched the first successful 5G carrier aggregation trial in Norway. Customers can now look forward to an even better 5G networks user experience.

Swisscom and Ericsson double down on 5G with successful Standalone voice and data calls

In a major step towards full deployment of the 5G standalone architecture nationwide, Swisscom recently carried out live 5G standalone voice and data calls using Voice over New Radio (VoNR) and carrier aggregation along with Ericsson Spectrum Sharing. 

 

STC, Ericsson, MediaTek mark a global first: 5G non-standalone FDD/TDD carrier aggregation

Saudi Telecom Company (stc), Ericsson and MediaTek demonstrated a cutting-edge live network solution enabling 5G carrier aggregation using Ericsson Spectrum Sharing in FDD low band with TDD mid band and MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chipset.

Ericsson spearheads 5G carrier aggregation milestones with key partners

Ericsson has recently pushed 5G carrier aggregation (5G CA) technology to new levels after a series of successful interoperability tests with customers including T-Mobile and Optus, and ecosystem partners such as Qualcomm and MediaTek. 

Ericsson and Qualcomm pioneer new carrier aggregation capabilities for 5G

The latest interoperability tests enable communications service providers to implement new 5G carrier aggregation capabilities that boost performance, capacity, and coverage

Related offerings

New energy-efficient RAN portfolio

10 new radios, transport and software solutions that deliver higher 5G capacity with lower energy consumption.

Advanced Traffic Steering in 5G

Advanced Traffic Steering in 5G with Multi-Layer Coordination can help service providers to optimize spectrum utilization, while achieving up to 40 percent greater network capacity, so that all users get the performance they expect.

Uplink Booster

Ericsson Uplink Booster is an innovative solution available now in Massive MIMO mid-band TDD (Time Division Duplex), Ericsson Radio System to achieve extended coverage, an improved uplink throughput and higher spectral efficiency.

5G Spectrum

With a simple software installation, 5G Spectrum offers quick introduction of 5G over a wide area, for all 5G-enabled devices leveraging 4G spectrum and existing Ericsson Radio System infrastructure.

Ericsson Radio System

Ericsson Radio System enables smooth, fast and cost-effective migration from 4G to 5G, allowing operators to launch the new technology and grow 5G coverage fast, no matter the scale and complexity. It comprises hardware, software and services for radio, RAN Compute, Mobile transport, power, enclosure, antenna system and 5G sites – all run by a common management system.

5G RAN

Switch on 5G with Ericsson Radio System. Secure a smooth, fast and agile introduction of 5G networks, to reduce cost per gigabyte for your mobile broadband business and enabling industry digitalization for growth.

Follow Ericsson Networks