Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) has marked an industry milestone by deploying Automated Carrier Aggregation in more than 50 of Telstra’s live commercial 5G Advanced sites across North Sydney, making Telstra the first operator to use this feature in a live commercial network environment.
The innovative software capability, part of Ericsson 5G Advanced solutions, automates the selection of the most suitable carrier combinations in real-time based on dynamic network conditions. This significantly enhances user experience by improving connection consistency and reliability, while substantially reducing manual configuration efforts and thereby operational costs.
Telstra Wireless Engineering Executive, Ash Hunter, said: “This deployment represents another step forward in our Connected Future 30 strategy to deliver autonomous networks. With Automated Carrier Aggregation, we’re not only delivering better performance for our customers, but also simplifying network operations for the future.”
Traditionally, carrier aggregation has been configured manually or semi-manually. This approach has limitations because it can only be carried out in non-real time and is prone to human error.
Automated Carrier Aggregation changes this by using advanced algorithms to intelligently select optimal carrier sets on the fly, ensuring the right resources are allocated to the right users at the right time. The result is improved speed, coverage, and reliability for end users — and significant operational savings for the operator.
The deployment builds on Telstra’s four-year network transformation partnership with Ericsson, which positions 5G Advanced as a foundational technology to elevate customer experience and network performance across Australia.
Since mid-May 2025, Automated Carrier Aggregation has been live across Telstra’s 5G Advanced-powered sites in North Sydney. Early results show a 20 percent increase in carrier aggregation combinations being used with customers experiencing enhanced peak speeds.
These results confirm Automated Carrier Aggregation’s ability to optimise network usage and ensure customers get the best performance from their devices — whether streaming HD video at a train station or uploading content on the go.
Ludvig Landgren, Head of Ericsson Australia and New Zealand, says: “We are proud to partner with Telstra to bring 5G Advanced innovations to life. Automated Carrier Aggregation showcases the strength of automation to simultaneously elevate user experiences and enhance operational efficiency. As demand for mobile data continues to grow, our collaboration on 5G Advanced and automation reinforces a shared commitment to build future-ready infrastructure that enables simpler operations, accelerates innovation, and delivers superior experiences for Australian customers.”
