Nokia, Stc and MediaTec trials 5G SA in Mecca with 3CC

On 20/04/22, Nokia, stc and MediaTek,  announced that they had successfully trialed 3 carrier aggregate (3CC-CA), in a 5G Standalone SA network in Mecca. This is the first time this has been done in the Middle East or Africa.

Carrier Aggregation (CA),  allows mobile operators to achieve higher throughputs, combining FDD/TDD spectrum, and efficiently use their spectrum assets to improve the 5G user experience. CA will enable stc deliver the best 5G services to its clients and accelerate time to market for new use cases.

One FDD carrier (20MHz) + two TDD carriers were combined to create 180MHz spectrum using FDD/TDD CA technology. Nokia used its AirScale Baseband commercial, which features massive MIMO and RRH, to power its Reefshark chipset over stc’s live network. MediaTek supplied its 5G mobile platform with its Release-16-ready, M80 modem. CA will improve 5G’s overall experience and reduce battery consumption for users of the stc network.

CA uses spectrum from different frequencies to increase coverage and network capacity, providing higher data rates and better indoor performance, allowing operators to use efficiently 5G spectrum.

Khalid Hussain, head of stc customer business team at Nokia, said:“Carrier aggregation allows service providers to make optimal use of spectrum. Nokia is at the forefront of developing 5G CA and other technologies that support service providers in maximizing the use of available resources. We look forward to implementing this solution with stc based on commercial hardware and software.”