Nokia and O2 Telefónica Germany today announced that they have successfully aggregated sub-6 GHz spectrum frequencies in an industry-first two-component carrier uplink Carrier Aggregation (CA) trial on 5G Standalone. Nokia has previously demonstrated four component carrier downlink 5G Carrier Aggregation, as well as uplink Carrier Aggregation on millimeter wave spectrum. Together with O2 Telefónica Germany, Nokia is the first to combine sub-6 GHz spectrum to boost uplink throughput.

CA enables mobile operators to maximize their spectrum assets to reach higher throughputs and enhance the 5G experience for subscribers. As users create and share content online such as HD video, Carrier Aggregation will improve the performance of 5G by delivering improved UL network usability at the cell edge with higher reliability and lower latency. Mobile operators will be able to enable new industrial use cases for verticals such as the automotive industry and live broadcasts of events and virtual reality experiences for consumers and enterprises, paving the way for the metaverse.