Telstra, in partnership with Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has today announced it has achieved a world-first 5G uplink speed of 447 Mbps in a sub-6GHz 5G Standalone (SA) on Telstra’s live commercial 5G network.

The milestone was accomplished in the live commercial network at Telstra’s Southport Innovation Centre, surpassing the previous record by over 100 Mbps, setting a new benchmark for global uplink performance in 5G SA networks.

The new 447 Mbps uplink record is a significant milestone for the industry as uplink performance is essential for high-definition live streaming, video conferencing, and other upload data-heavy applications, particularly in entertainment, industrial and enterprise environments.

This achievement follows the world-first announcement made earlier this year by Ericsson, Telstra, and Qualcomm, where the trio reached 340 Mbps uplink speeds on Telstra’s 5G SA network using sub-6GHz frequencies.

The new milestone was achieved using Two Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) carriers of 40 MHz each, from1800 MHz band and 2600 MHz band using carrier aggregation technology.  The results were achieved using a Mobile Test Platform (MTP) device with an in-market chipset deployed in several commercial handsets.

The continued success of Ericsson’s technology in collaboration with Telstra demonstrates the ongoing progress toward unlocking the full potential of 5G, enabling superior user experiences and supporting future applications. This milestone is a major achievement in Telstra’s journey towards a ubiquitous SA network, where the mid band (1800MHz and 2600MHz) playing a key role. Telstra aims to move all traffic to 5G SA where the network is more advanced and efficient, and where a superior customer experience can be provided, including differentiated services. This achievement is a validation of what the future network can deliver across areas where access to this spectrum is available.

Looking ahead, Ericsson and Telstra will continue to collaborate on redefining the limits of network capabilities. By optimising spectrum assets and enhancing the performance of 5G SA networks, the two companies aim to deliver next-generation services to consumers and businesses alike, supporting critical sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics, and unlocking new opportunities for innovation and economic growth. With networks becoming more intelligent, Ericsson will enable features where carriers can be automatically selected to provide the best experience to customers. 

Sri Amirthalingam, Telstra Wireless Engineering Executive says: “Our continued work with Ericsson to push the boundaries of 5G uplink speeds highlights our commitment to providing the best possible network experiences for our customers. The 447 Mbps record achieved on our 5G Standalone network at Southport represents a significant leap forward in what is possible with 5G, especially in meeting the increasing demands for faster, more reliable data connections for a wide range of services and industries.”

Emilio Romeo, Head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand, says: “The latest achievement is a testament to the strong partnership between Ericsson and Telstra and our shared vision of advancing 5G to its full potential. The enhanced uplink capabilities demonstrated by this new world record will enable new applications that require high data throughput and low latency, supporting the demands of industries and consumers alike. As we continue to lead in 5G innovation, this breakthrough marks another step forward in delivering enhanced network performance across Australia.”