Sunrise and Huawei have achieved a record aggregated download speed of 3.67 Gbps by combining multiple 5G-enabled smartphones within a single 5G cell in Zürich. The test used C-Band spectrum with a 100 MHz bandwidth and conformed to 3GPP standards.
Previously, a single-user smartphone peak speed of up to 2 Gbps had been recorded.
Sunrise was one of the first European operators to roll out 5G, and with Huawei’s support the Switzerland-based provider now delivers 5G coverage across 262 cities and villages. Those areas can access enhanced broadband, HD TV, and interactive gaming services enabled by 5G.
Huawei’s MU-MIMO technology played a key role in this achievement by significantly increasing 5G cell capacity without requiring additional spectrum or power resources.
At the recent 5G Core Summit in Madrid, Huawei introduced what it described as the industry’s first fully containerised 5G core network, applying container technology across network functions to speed deployment and accelerate service rollouts. This approach aims to help operators rapidly launch new digital services and support enterprise transformation. The company also showcased the world’s first 5G core built on a microservice-centric architecture, designed to support 2G/3G/4G and both 5G NSA and 5G SA access modes.
In related industry developments, Three UK announced in June plans to deploy what it called the country’s fastest 5G network across 25 cities later in the year. Three secured 140 MHz of 5G spectrum and positioned that capacity as capable of delivering peak speeds up to twice those of rivals at launch; Vodafone holds 50 MHz of spectrum and remains a close competitor.
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