- The operator is claiming another record in uplink performance, hitting 550 Mbps
- Uplink is getting more attention as consumers stream more video
- 3GPP Release 17 defined UL Tx Switching, which is likely to show up in commercial devices relatively soon
T-Mobile just upped the ante on 5G upload speeds, announcing that it set a new uplink speed record of 550 Mbps using 5G Advanced technology.
Why is it significant? According to T-Mobile President of Technology Ulf Ewaldsson, “uplink is the next big thing.” Others tend to agree, as the industry is increasingly putting more focus on uplink after years of concentrating on the downlink.
The uplink comes into play more as consumers upload videos to social media, play games in real time and (we expect) use AI on their phones. Plus, it happens to be defined in 3GPP Release 17 under the punchy “UL Tx Switching” lingo, which refers to uplink transmit switching. Because of course.
T-Mobile’s latest achievement isn’t surprising. The Bellevue, Washington-based operator recently announced the nationwide deployment of 5G Advanced, which enables faster download and uplink speeds via carrier aggregation, as well as lower latency and more stable throughput. That’s good for things like the aforementioned gaming, video calls and conferencing.
The operator previously set uplink records of 275 Mbps in 2022 and then again in early 2024 with 345 Mbps using Release 16 UL Tx Switching. Now it’s talking about surpassing 500 Mbps with Release 17.
The deets of this T-Mobile feat
T-Mobile used 100 MHz of TDD spectrum at 2.5 GHz (n41) and 35 MHz of FDD spectrum (n25) around 1.9 GHz to achieve the record-breaking 550 Mbps total speed. The test was conducted using a MediaTek smartphone flagship test device with an integrated M90 modem.
T-Mobile didn’t say exactly where the test was conducted, other than to say it was at a commercial site in Seattle and not in a lab.
That likely means T-Mobile engineers looked for the optimal position outside a cell site to conduct their speed test, said Mike Thelander, president of Signals Research Group, which regularly tests the latest wireless tech.
In other words, “that’s not reflective of where most people use their phones and how they use them. It’s a lot easier to make a marketing claim where you can show a peak speed,” he said.
“There are very few applications that require 500 megabits per second in the uplink,” he told Fierce. “That being said, I think uplink transmit switching – it’s the real deal. There’s a significant benefit to it and devices are coming.”
Nokia's UL Tx
T-Mobile isn’t saying when it’s going to deploy UL Tx Switching nationally, but Thelander said it will probably be available in some markets and in some smartphones relatively soon.
It’s also worth noting this test was done with Nokia equipment. Reports surfaced last year that T-Mobile might follow its U.S. peers and ditch Nokia, but T-Mobile executives have been very publicly showing their support for Nokia in recent months.
Thelander said he doesn’t read too much into Nokia's involvement here. “It doesn't surprise me that they made this announcement with Nokia versus Ericsson. That’s not to say they couldn't have done it with Ericsson. There are things that Nokia does very well, and one of them is uplink,” he said.