A new technology called “UL Tx Switching” could significantly increase 5G upload speeds. T-Mobile’s UL Tx switching tests yielded uplink speeds of 345 Mbps in the Sub-6 5G band. The previous record was just 275 Mbps.
As we know, 5G networking relies on a combination of mmWave, low-band, and mid-band spectrum. Most of 5G networking will occur in the mid-band (Sub-6) spectrum, offering the right combination of speed and reliability. Very few people have access to ultra-fast mmWave 5G, as it has a fairly short range and is susceptible to interference.
The new UL Tx switching technology is an upgrade to the existing Sub-6 5G network. Artificially create more uplink bandwidth by switching the user to different combinations of her Sub-6 frequencies. UL Tx switching also utilizes SU-MIMO (Single User Multiple Input, Multiple Output), which provides multiple simultaneous upload streams to mobile devices.
T-Mobile partnered with Qualcomm and Nokia to test the capabilities of UL Tx switching. These tests were conducted in North America and relied on Qualcomm’s AI-powered Snapdragon Modem-RF system and Nokia AirScale networking hardware. All told, UL Tx switching can increase Sub-6 5G upload speeds by 25%. T-Mobile reached upload speeds of 345 Mbps, breaking the record of 275 Mbps set in January 2024.
Simultaneous testing was conducted in Australia by Qualcomm, Telstra and Ericsson. For our Australian tests, we used the consumer-grade NetGear Nighthawk M6 Pro mobile router, which is much more accessible than Nokia AirScale hardware. Nighthawk M6 Pro was able to reach uplink speeds of 340 Mbps. Although this was a few megabits short of the North American results, it was still an impressive achievement.
Note that UL Tx switching does not increase download speed. Still, the improved Sub-6 5G uplink speed can be extremely beneficial when making video calls, uploading large files, playing online games, and performing other daily tasks. There may be. This is especially true for households that use their 5G modem instead of a traditional broadband modem.
Unfortunately, we don’t know when UL Tx switching will be introduced. The actual benefits of UL Tx switching are also unclear, especially when it comes to older or cheaper 5G modems. If you want to learn more about UL Tx switching, please refer to ZTE’s white paper.
Source: T-Mobile, Ericsson
