Elisa and Nokia claimed to have attained another record-breaking data rate on a commercial 5G network, reaching a combined 2.1Gb/s uplink speed between the base station and a compatible device.

The Finland-based operator demonstrated the set up at the Nokia Arena in Tampere, employing Nokia mmWave equipment on 26GHz spectrum and a Qualcomm 5G device.

Nokia also deployed carrier aggregation technology covering four components of 100MHz each.

The latest achievement comes more than 18 months after Elisa and Nokia reported they reached an 8Gb/s downlink speed on two devices.

At the time, Elisa outlined plans to launch a consumer mmWave offer in 2021. The operator now states it will be able to fully deploy “low-latency services” at the venue in 2023.

Going to the edge

The companies stated Nokia Arena is one of the first stadiums equipped with mmWave 5G. High-speed uplink capabilities are tipped to support applications which would benefit from edge computing including media broadcasting or HD streaming.

Sami Komulainen, EVP of production at Elisa (pictured), noted the latest trial is “yet another important step in our efforts to bring the fastest speeds and best 5G experiences to our customers”. He now expects to be able to deliver “enhanced services to visitors of the Nokia Arena”.

Ari Kynaslahti, head of technology and strategy at Nokia Mobile Networks, added mmWave 5G “stands out as an optimal solution for venues like stadiums, where large capacity and ultra-high data speeds are needed over a short distance for thousands of mobile users at the same time”.

Enrico Salvatori, head of EMEA market at Qualcomm, also noted the trial “represents a significant milestone” for mmWave 5G.

“The throughputs achieved today show the true potential for mmWave deployments”.