Vodafone Group has announced the completion of successful tests of 5G-suitable spectrum in the upper 6GHz band, claiming that in utilising this part of the radiowave spectrum it will ‘ensure consumers and businesses receive even faster and more reliable 5G services over the next five to ten years, while avoiding a mobile capacity crunch caused by soaring demand for bandwidth’. In the tests, Vodafone engineers in Spain reportedly achieved download speeds of up to 5Gbps outdoors and on average, speeds of 2Gbps indoors. In addition, the company showed that the upper 6GHz band has potential ‘to achieve comparable coverage levels to today’s 5G networks’ as it can be readily deployed at existing mobile sites to boost capacity when the current level of bandwidth is used up.

The Vodafone press release confirmed that 6GHz equipment was deployed on an existing 5G location in Madrid blanketing Vodafone’s campus and the surrounding environs, including indoor locations. A Massive MIMO antenna technology was used. The release added: ‘This technology is already being deployed for 5G networks today to beamform signals in the direction of individual users, maximising their signal quality and minimising network interference. A 200MHz channel (the anticipated amount of spectrum that would be made available per mobile operator in each European country) was used which is approximately double the bandwidth used for 5G services today, enabling higher speeds and capacity for evolved 5G networks’.

Commenting on the trials, Alberto Ripepi, Vodafone Chief Network Officer said: ‘Without a fair and balanced allocation of 6GHz spectrum, mobile users worldwide could face a major capacity crunch within just five years. Additional 5G spectrum would boost the digital transformation of businesses and public sector organisations, and support the European Commission’s ambition to have fast connectivity within reach of all populated areas by 2030.’