Field Testing: 5G NSA in the Real World - 1 Gbps with 3-Carrier Aggregation
This wasn’t a lab. Just a standard Pixel 8 connected to NTT Docomo in central Tokyo, showing what 5G NSA can do with decent signal and well-tuned scheduling.
Downlink: 1,040 Mbps
Uplink: 102Mbps (not shown. LTE-only UL path in NSA)
Mode: 5G NSA
Device: Pixel 8
Bands: N78 + B1 + B19
Carrier Aggregation Summary:
- N78: 100 MHz (NR)
- B1: 15 MHz (LTE)
- B19: 10 MHz (LTE)
- Total: 125 MHz (DC1A_19A_n78A)
This matches what we’d expect from a Rel-15 network with 4x4 MIMO and a 3CC configuration. Uplink remains LTE-only in NSA and is always much slower.
Speed isn’t the only metric that matters. But sometimes it’s good to show what today’s networks can actually deliver.
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