Telkom has concluded a demonstration of advanced multiple antenna technology, known as “massive Mimo”, for much speedier 4G/LTE connectivity. The test took place using a chunk of spectrum in the 2.3GHz band employing time-division duplexing technology.

“Massive Mimo will enable Telkom’s mobile customers to achieve data at a rate up to five times faster than current 4G technology,” the company said in a statement. “This will result in better throughput speeds and improved coverage, leading to a better overall experience for consumers.”

The trial marks the first step towards advanced 4G networks and 5G networks by Telkom, said consumer CEO Attila Vitai.

The demonstration was done using 20MHz of spectrum in the 2.3GHz band and was conducted by partner Huawei. The company was able to achieve 909Mbit/s at peak rate, showing improved spectrum efficiency and network coverage.

Telkom has already deployed LTE, LTE-Advanced and 4×4 Mimo technology to offer speeds of up to 600Mbit/s. “The next step is to introduce massive Mimo technology, which will result in a significant increase in throughput speeds. Plans are already afoot for the deployment of massive Mimo this year,” it said.

“Massive Mimo technology will enable Telkom to reuse existing sites to meet high data demand at a lower cost, rather than having to acquire and build new sites in dense areas. In turn, this will enable Telkom to offer larger data packages and more services at a reduced cost.” — (c) 2018 NewsCentral Media