Novatel Wireless and Keysight Technologies announced the successful demonstration of 1.2 Gbps downlink throughput on Novatel Wireless’ next-generation MiFi, an industry-first Cat 18 LTE mobile hotspot, at Mobile World Congress Americas in San Francisco.

“From the first 1G cradle modems for early handhelds, to 2G/3G PC cards with embedded antennas, followed by the invention of MiFi mobile hotspots, and the first LTE-U capable USB modem, it is in our DNA to embrace the challenges that come with introducing the latest advanced technologies and developing products that operate on the latest wireless standards,” said Stephen Sek, CTO for Novatel Wireless.

“As mobile broadband technologies are advancing in both speed and complexity, breaking through the true Gigabit barrier is a milestone worth noting. Today, we are pleased to announce that we have achieved the 1.2 Gbps milestone in the development of our next-generation MiFi platform.”

“This is an important milestone on our path to 5G and we are excited for this new platform to launch commercially. We have secured a commitment with a Tier 1 North American service provider for launch in 2018, and we are in the process of securing additional commitments from other major providers around the globe,” noted Steve Linke, VP of Worldwide Sales for Novatel Wireless.

Using Keysight’s UXM E7515A Wireless Test Sets configured for three Component Carriers of 20 MHz, 256 QAM and 4×4 MIMO, the demonstration of 1.2 Gbps downlink data throughput at the physical layer shows that the maximum throughput possible with Cat 18 can be achieved with Novatel Wireless’ design.