A total 20 operators worldwide have launched Category 6 LTE-Advanced networks, according to the latest report from industry group GSA. The networks supporting speeds up to 300 Mbps are available in 15 countries: Australia, Austria, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. The 3GPP defines a Category 6 system in its Release 10 specifications as having a theoretical speed of 300 Mbps downlink and 50 Mbps uplink. According to the GSA, a further 22 Cat 6 networks are being deployed or in a trial phase, for a total 42 operators in 24 countries investing in the technology.
The next stage of LTE-Advanced, Category 9 as defined under 3GPP Release 11, is being tested or deployed in nine countries (Australia, Japan, Portugal, Qatar, Turkey, South Korea, Switzerland, UAE and the UK). This will increase the theoretical speed to 450 Mbps downlink.
