Vodafone completes carrier aggregation deployment, promises more reliable 4G

Vodafone today announced that it has completed the deployment of 850-1800Mhz carrier aggregation across its metropolitan network. While Vodafone claims that carrier aggregation will provide customers with faster and more reliable data services, the telco would not provide specific speeds.

"This rollout is about providing customers with more consistent access to fast speeds via our 4G network through the two 4G layers," said a Vodafone spokesperson. "Speeds can vary due to a number of factors including location, device and number of active users."

CyberShack was able to achieve speeds of 6Mbps (Megabits per second) while testing in St Leonards using a Galaxy Note 4 with a Vodafone SIM. These results were in line with previous speed tests conducted prior to Vodafone's carrier aggregation deployment.

Carrier aggregation allows compatible smart devices to simultaneously connect to multiple frequencies across the 4G spectrum, theoretically doubling the available bandwidth. Telstra and Optus have both enabled carrier aggregation as part of their 4G network, promising speeds of up to 300Mbps and 160Mbps respectively.

Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge are currently the only two handsets in Australia that support carrier aggregation. Forthcoming devices including the Samsung Galaxy S6, HTC One M9 and LG G Flex 2 will also support the technology.

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