Vodafone 5G download and upload speed asymmetry

Collective wisdom sought here. I’ve been using a GigaCube in central London for around 15 months. Download speed has always been quite healthy, typically in the order of 250 to 450 Mbps. Yet upload speed is typically not much better than 10% of upload.

I’ve also tested with a new iPhone 12 and have had similar results. Anecdotally other folks are seeing similar with Gigacube on 5G.

I have been used to virtually symmetric upload and download speeds on most 4G networks in all the years I’ve used that as a “broadband” connection and also on my phone.

So is this asymmetrical speed an “architectural feature” of the the present 5G networks in the UK - presumably to preserve uplink bandwidth on the bases - will upload ever be more symmetric like it is on 4G? Thanks

As I understand it, the 5G that is being rolled out at the moment uses 5G for the download and 4G/LTE for the upload. Which is why upload is a lot slower.

I've rarely seen symmetrical upload/download speeds on LTE either. Most masts I've ever been connected to top out at 40Mbps upload even when the download is a lot faster.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

I have been used to virtually symmetric upload and download speeds on most 4G networks in all the years I’ve used that as a “broadband” connection and also on my phone.

Really? Are you in a major urban area (e.g. big city?). I ask because uplink carrier aggregation isn't common in many places.

I can see 40 to 190 Mbps download on my EE SIM here at home, and a range of 10 to 35 Mbps on upload. Vodafone ranges from 20 to 80 Mbps download, and 5 to 20 Mbps upload.

In reply to a post by andynormancx:

As I understand it, the 5G that is being rolled out at the moment uses 5G for the download and 4G/LTE for the upload. Which is why upload is a lot slower.

Interesting. I’m seeing around 10:1 ratio at the moment, with 5G limited to about 40 Mbps on upload. If anything 4G/LTE upload performance appears to be better and more consistent,

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Interesting. I’m seeing around 10:1 ratio at the moment, with 5G limited to about 40 Mbps on upload. If anything 4G/LTE upload performance appears to be better and more consistent,

This is probably an artifact of Non-Standalone (NSA) architecture, where the control plane and the core network are all managed over LTE, only the 5G-NR radio is used to communicate to the handset.

T-Mobile USA has rolled out Standalone Architectre (SA) which means they have built a 5G core, and hence should see results in line with the 5G marketing.
https://www.t-mobile.com/news/network/standalone-5g-...

The various UK networks may move to this eventually, but all eyes are on the 2021 ofcom spectrum auction of the 700 MHz band (different to the US 700 MHz band) which could speed up 5G rollout.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

The various UK networks may move to this eventually, but all eyes are on the 2021 ofcom spectrum auction of the 700 MHz band (different to the US 700 MHz band) which could speed up 5G rollout.

Once that auction is completed, what sort of timescales are we likely to see for implementation? Is it the sort of thing they could simply switch on with existing hardware and maybe firmware updates (so a matter of weeks after the auction potentially), or would it require additional hardware installation (i.e. take many months before we actually see it)? And would any of the more recent (e.g. early 2020 onwards) existing 5g device hardware be able to handle it or would it also require new phones and routers?

Edited by Ewok (Fri 27-Nov-20 16:36:03)

In reply to a post by jchamier:

all eyes are on the 2021 ofcom spectrum auction of the 700 MHz band (different to the US 700 MHz band) which could speed up 5G rollout.

I thought there was only 80Mhz of bandwidth up for auction in 5MHz chucks so possibly no network will get a big enough chuck.