Elisa claims new 4G work record of 1.9 Gbps

Elisa has claimed it has set a new world record in August as it achieved a speed of 1.9 Gbps in the 4G test network.

The company believes it is the first worldwide to achieve the landmark, and has done so using Huawei’s latest 4G technology. Various operators, including TDC, Proximus, Deutsche Telekom in Poland and Vodacom, have broken through the 1 Gbit/s barrier, though this would appear to be the fastest known to date.

“This new speed record is a step towards the 5G network and also an excellent indication of all the opportunities the 4G network still has to offer,” said Sami Komulainen, VP of Mobile Network Services at Elisa. “The speeds that the 4G network offers are continuously increasing and, possibly in the next few years, we will even be able to offer mobile data connections of several gigabits per second to our customers.

“A speed of almost two gigabits may seem unheard-of, and many people are wondering if such speeds are even needed in everyday use. However, there will be more and more demand for high-speed connections in the future as, for example, 360-degree videos and virtual reality applications become more popular.”

Currently, the maximum speed in Elisa’s network is 450 Mbps, and the fastest available mobile broadband subscription offers speeds of up to 300 Mbps. The company currently has 2.3 million consumer, corporate and public administration organisation customers, bringing in revenues of €1.57 billion over the course of 2015, employing just over 4,000 people.