Nokia and StarHub tripling 4G upload speeds in Singapore

• StarHub customers to enjoy peak 4G upload speed of 150Mbps using Nokia's 4G LTE-Advanced technology

• Boost in speeds to reach Singapore's Marina Bay and Orchard by end this year; with nationwide deployment planned for 2017

26 July, 2016

Singapore - Nokia and Singapore's StarHub have successfully tripled peak upload speed to 150Mbps over the operator's 4G network, in Southeast Asia's first trial using carrier aggregation technology and the 64 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) technique.

Following the trial, StarHub will introduce the technology commercially in the Marina Bay and Orchard areas of Singapore in time for the city state's year-end celebrations, allowing customers with compatible devices to enjoy a smoother mobile data experience while sharing high definition videos and photos in real time. At such speeds which are three times faster than what most 4G networks offer today, a 200MB 4K resolution video can be uploaded to the Internet in as little as 11 seconds.

The speed achievement was made possible by Nokia's carrier aggregation technology, which aggregated spectrum in the 1800MHz and 2600MHz bands together with 64 QAM. Carrier aggregation is a technique used in 4G LTE-Advanced standards to allow non-contiguous bands of spectrum to be bonded to create wider channels, resulting in faster 4G speeds.

Overview of techniques used in the trial:

• Nokia Carrier Aggregation software was used to combine two blocks of 4G spectrum to double the upload speed

• 64 QAM further enhanced speeds by 1.5 times

• Compatible mobile devices with 4G LTE-Advanced technology (Cat. 13)

Mock Pak Lum, Chief Technology Officer, StarHub, said:

"The ability to upload quickly is fast becoming a necessity for our mobile customers. In fact, we saw a close to 50% increase in upload traffic year-on-year, as customers increasingly share high definition videos and photos instantly with the world. Collaborating with technology partners such as Nokia, we are driving innovation in 4G for the benefit of our customers amid continued growth in mobile data use."

Nicolas Bouverot, head of Asia South at Nokia, said:

"We are committed to supporting StarHub in its quest to deliver a world-class service experience to its customers. Our technologies will enable the operator to improve the upload and download speeds of its 4G network even at peak traffic times to enrich the user experience."