AIS Announces Commercial Launch of the World's First 4.5G Network, with amazing 1 Gbps Speed
May 26, 2016: AIS, reinforcing its commitment to provide the Best Network in Thailand, today announced the start of the world’s first commercial 4.5G service with a maximum speed of 1 Gbps.
The 4.5G network was first launched in Thailand in late March this year, in cooperation with AIS’s world-class partner Huawei. The two companies’ Joint Innovation Center (JIC) developed the network in response to growing demand for higher-speed internet connections, taking the country’s digital infrastructure to another level in line with the Digital Thailand concept.
Mr. Hui Weng Cheong, Chief Operating Officer of Advanced Info Service PCL, said: “When AIS launched 4.5G at the end of March, Thailand became the first country in the world to have the technology. This ingenious wireless network innovation was the result of cooperation with Huawei Technologies, our key strategic partner in network development, via the Joint Innovation Center (JIC), the special R&D program of AIS and Huawei.
“Today we are truly proud to announce that the AIS 4.5G network has been successfully developed to perform at a maximum speed of 1 Gbps and is available immediately for commercial service to customers in Thailand with compatible devices.
The key features of 4.5G technology include the ability to have lower latency at 10ms, a peak download rate beyond 1Gbps. AIS and Huawei incorporate advanced combination of multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), Carrier Aggregation (CA) on 1800 & 2100MHz, and the use of LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) (or License Assisted Access -- LAA) to facilitate the live 4.5G networks breaking through the speed of 1Gbps.
Mr. Hui continued: “Initially we plan to expand the coverage of 4.5G service in Bangkok and major cities, high-usage areas in the buildings and shopping areas such as Siam Square and Ratchaprasong. The service not only strengthens data usage capacity for customers but also the AIS 4G network overall.
“In terms of devices, producers around the world have begun to incorporate LTE-U/LAA technology in their devices, and compatible models will certainly be on the market in the first half of this year.
“AIS has never ceased innovating alongside continuous network expansion. We are confident that advanced technology such as 4.5G will be a key part of the infrastructure enabling the technology of the future, including the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality and drones. Ultimately, it will help make Digital Thailand a reality, with AIS creating this new strength for the country.”
About AIS 4.5G
AIS launched Thailand’s first 4.5G network on March 23, 2016. The network was developed by the Joint Innovation Center, the special R&D program of AIS and Huawei Technologies. Their collaboration has resulted in an ingenious wireless network that can be practically adapted to real-life conditions. Our distinctive innovative technologies on AIS 4.5G comprise MIMO 4x4, Carrier Aggregation on the 1800 and 2100 MHz frequencies, as well as LTE-U/LAA (LTE-Unlicensed/ License Assisted Access). This enables AIS 4.5G to transmit greater amounts of data at the same time, twice as quickly as the 4G network. The speed has since increased by 30% with 1 Gbps maximum speed reached in April 2016.
AIS customers whose devices support LTE-U/LAA can automatically use the 4.5G network without any setting and with no special charges. Additional functions can be set up under the current service tariff schedule.
