Telit completes 5G sub-6 GHz link on MTS’ network in Russia

The connection is the latest milestone in MTS’ 5G trials in Moscow (pictured) and St. Petersburg with IoT enabler Telit.

The FN980m data card module completed a 5G connection on Mobile TeleSystems’ (MTS) 4.9GHz (sub-6 GHz) network in Russia.

The module has the Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System and is designed for bandwidth-intensive applications like branch office connectivity, professional video broadcasting, digital signage and industrial IoT.

5G milestones

MTS is the country’s largest mobile operator with more than 80 million subscribers. In September, it launched the country’s first continuously operable mid-band 5G pilot zones in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The two zones also use mmWave and 4.9GHz spectrum.

The Telit FN980m supports up to 6.5 Gbps downlinks and 3 Gbps uplinks with 5G. MTS used the Telit FN980m to complete its first successful 5G data call in sub-6 GHz spectrum.

“MTS is…experimenting with 5G technology solutions. The test with Telit is a key milestone because it used sub-6 GHz spectrum, which is ideal for wide-area 5G coverage.

“Those bands will be critical for rapidly rolling out 5G, so it can quickly become the foundation for smart cities, IoT, telemedicine, autonomous vehicles and other advanced applications,” said Denis Panasenko, Head of the 5G Centre at MTS.