Deployment of HSDPA has better price-performance ratio

August 21, 2006

Research and Markets has announced the addition of "HSDPA Development Report, 2005-2006" to their offering.

After giving an overview of the HSDPA technology, this report looks into the HSDPA equipments, testing equipments, terminal chips and terminals. It also gives detailed information about different operators and their use of HSDPA, and provides prospects about this technology.

Please note this report is currently only available in Chinese. However, if you wish to obtain an English version, a translation service is available which will take 3-5 working days.

HSDPA is the upgrade from WCDMA, with a higher data transmission rate, which favors the development of mobile broadband data services. HSDPA is also able to increase system capacity, and to provide better services to high-rate users on the same wireless carrier frequency.

HSDPA not only supports High Speed Asymmetrical Data Service, but also helps operators minimize the investment cost while significantly increasing network capacity. It provides a smooth migration path for higher UMTS data transmission rate and higher capacity, just as EDGE to GSM network.

The development of HSDPA can be divided into three stages, i.e. basic HSDPA, enhanced HSDPA, and future HSDPA, the future HSDPA not being defined yet and still in the research process under 3GPP. Moreover, the equipments for the second stage need to be perfected and improved.

The cost of HSDPA network construction is mainly due to software/hardware upgrade of Node B and RNC. Therefore, the deployment of HSDPA has better price-performance ratio.

Most of the overseas operators have obtained 3G licenses, and all networks have been or will be built soon. However, the current status of 3G operation is not as good as expected, and most operators are not making any profits. Therefore, the adoption of HSDPA is a good solution to the condition mentioned above.

At present, China has delayed the timetable of issuing 3G licenses for several times. This has put operators at a disadvantage in the short term, and also severely depressed the fixed-line operators who were eager to obtain the license. However, the advantage is that operators can now choose the 3G network they will deploy. The cost of HSDPA only accounts for one fifteenth of that of GPRS and one fifth of that of W-CDMA.