Nokia Technology to Rev Up StarHub's Singapore 4G Networks

Nokia and StarHub together have achieved 150Mbps 4G upload rates in a trial using 64 QAM and carrier aggregation technologies, the companies announced this week. The carrier expects to employ that technology commercially in two areas of Singapore by the end of the year.

"The ability to upload quickly is fast becoming a necessity for our mobile customers,” said StarHub CTO Mock Pak Lum. “In fact, we saw a close to 50 percent increase in upload traffic year-on-year, as customers increasingly share high-definition videos and photos instantly with the world.”

The solutions provided by Nokia will enable StarHub to increase 4G speeds and meet that user demand. And that technology is scheduled be in place in the Marina Bay and Orchard areas of Singapore in time for the year-end celebrations in those locations.

The Nokia Carrier Aggregation solution combines spectrum from the 1800MHz and 2600MHz bands, doubling the upload speed. Meanwhile, 64 QAM, or quadrature amplitude modulation, further enhances speeds by 1.5 times. To enjoy these improvements users must be using compatible mobile devices with 4G LTE-Advanced technology (Cat. 13).

Nokia has been working on a number of fronts to advance and improve LTE-Advanced technology.

For example, earlier this year at Mobile World Congress the company showcased LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced Pro innovations that substantially improve the capacity of TD-LTE and FDD-LTE networks. That demonstration involved 3D Beamforming and 8x4 Intelligent Beamforming, and various types of aggregation.

"In addition to providing the most high-performing FDD-LTE and TD-LTE networks today, Nokia is also rapidly developing LTE-Advanced Pro technologies with operators,” Tero Peltola, head of FDD and TDD LTE Product Management at Nokia, said at the February event in Barcelona. “Nokia's 3D Beamforming, for downlink and uplink, is an early innovation and has been field tested in Hangzhou, China. We are also responding to the need for more capacity by enabling comprehensive aggregation of TDD and FDD LTE networks.”