Optus, the second largest operator in Australia, employed Ericsson spectrum sharing technology to simultaneously make a 5G video call while streaming video content on a 4G device connected to the same spectrum.
In a statement, the operator said the test demonstrates the benefits of dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) which, rather than dedicating spectrum to a single technology, allows it to be used at the same time for both 4G and 5G.
An international video call between Optus’s 5G network and Singtel’s pilot 5G network in Singapore was made with a pre-commercial Oppo device equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 modem. At the same time, video was streamed to a 4G device.
Optus said its network was able to assign spectrum resources on both 4G and 5G, switching between them in milliseconds to support the different service demands from both users.
Kent Wu, head of access network planning and quality at Optus, said DSS will enable it to efficiently manage its spectrum assets to address the needs of existing 4G customers, while also helping widen its 5G coverage and unlock “new video experience services on 5G”.
“Spectrum sharing is an important next step in our strategy to focus on video experience for our customers and this will play a key role in enabling us to deliver an incredible 4K ultra-HD live streaming sports and 4K SVOD entertainment content experience.”
