Optus and Ericsson completed a trial of SA 5G aggregation across multiple spectrum bands on a live commercial network in Australia, combining 180MHz of spectrum to boost network performance and capacity.
The SA 5G aggregation trial took place at Optus’s Sydney campus using commercial smartphones, including Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra devices. The test achieved peak downlink speeds of 3.4Gb/s and uplink speeds of 200Mb/s, demonstrating the technical feasibility of the approach on a working network.
Technical Setup and Performance Metrics
The trial employed four-component carrier aggregation spanning 900MHz, 2.1GHz, 2.3GHz and 3.5GHz spectrum bands to deliver 220MHz of downlink bandwidth. This configuration allowed the operators to combine multiple bands and assess performance under real-world conditions rather than in a laboratory setting.
Optus stated the SA 5G aggregation approach would improve performance for data-heavy applications including high-resolution video streaming, AR and VR services, and large file downloads. The operator also expects the technology to strengthen service reliability in high-traffic locations such as transport hubs, major events and business districts by allowing it to allocate network resources in real time.
Fixed Wireless Access and Rollout Plans
The trial will support Optus’s fixed wireless access services by increasing network speeds and capacity for households and enterprises using broadband alternatives. The operator plans to roll out the capability across metropolitan areas in Sydney and Melbourne over the next 12 to 18 months.
Sri Amirthalingam, Optus CTO, said the milestone reflects the company’s focus on translating 5G technology into benefits for customers in real-world environments. He stated the collaboration with Ericsson unlocks greater capacity and performance across Optus’s 5G network.
SA 5G Aggregation and Future Standards
Arirthalingam described the trial as an important step in the operator’s network evolution toward 5G Advanced, the next phase of 5G standards development. The SA 5G aggregation technique represents a path for operators to extract more capacity from existing spectrum allocations without waiting for new frequency bands.
Optus and Ericsson have maintained a long-standing partnership, though the pair faced scrutiny last year after network disruptions left users unable to contact emergency services. Optus attributed the outage to faulty Ericsson equipment, and a joint investigation examined the technical failure at the vendor’s tower site.
Broader Industry Context
The SA 5G aggregation trial reflects wider industry efforts to optimize telecommunications infrastructure. Operators globally are exploring spectrum aggregation and advanced network technologies to meet growing data demand without significant additional capital expenditure on new infrastructure.
