Qualcomm and Teleepoch Enter Into a 3G CDMA Subscriber Unit License Agreement, October 6, 2007

MTN chooses Cambridge Broadband Networks for multi-service wireless network in Rwanda, October 6, 2007

Brazilian government to publish 3G bidding rules soon, October 6, 2007

KTF 3G service suffers from technical problems, October 6, 2007

Argentina’s Personal lunches 3G service in Rosario, October 6, 2007

Russia has it's first 3G network, October 6, 2007

AT&T could drop Alcatel-Lucent as 3G mobile network supplier, October 6, 2007

Enea Extends License Agreement with ZTE for 3G Handsets, October 2, 2007

LG to unveil premium handsets in Brazil, October 2, 2007

KTF 3G subscribers doubled in less than 3 months, October 2, 2007

3G policy in India will be non-uniform, October 2, 2007

- previous news

HSDPA provides the grand slam in wireless mobility

September 13, 2005

Led by Cingular Wireless in the U.S., operators worldwide are about to start deploying High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), one of the most powerful cellular-data technologies ever developed. 3G Americas published a white paper, prepared by independent wireless consultant Peter Rysavy of Rysavy Research, which examines the performance of the GSM family of data technologies -- GPRS, EDGE and UMTS/HSDPA -- how they work, and their position relative to some competing technologies.

The white paper, Data Capabilities: GPRS to HSDPA and Beyond confirms previous collaborative research on HSDPA, an enhancement to UMTS for packet data that delivers average data throughput rates to the subscriber of 550-1100 Kbps and peak theoretical rates of 14 Mbps. The paper also reconfirms that HSDPA with its enhanced features could increase spectral efficiency by a factor of 2.5 -- 3.5x when operators complete an upgrade of their UMTS networks.

"The GSM family is a portfolio of complementary technologies that realize the full potential of wireless data," commented Chris Pearson, President of 3G Americas. "Proportionally, as customer uptake for high-speed wireless data applications increases, so will the need for more spectral capacity, greater throughput, improved latency and lower cost per bit of data. Thus, operators and customers will benefit with UMTS/HSDPA which will deliver across the board with the added value of global roaming in the 65 countries where UMTS is or will soon be deployed."

Some of the key observations and conclusions of the paper include:

-- UMTS/HSDPA represents tremendous radio innovation and capability, allowing it to support a wide variety of applications, including voice and data on the same devices.

-- Various enhancements are planned for HSDPA that will extend UMTS/HSDPA capability even further, beginning with an enhanced uplink (HSUPA), advanced receivers and then intelligent antennas/MIMO.

-- OFDM is a good candidate technology for next generation systems employing wide radio channels. However, it does not offer compelling advantages over UMTS in radio channels of 10 MHz or less. Initial versions of IEEE 802.16e are likely to have spectral efficiency similar to HSDPA.

-- Ongoing UMTS evolution includes significant enhancements with each new specification release, including higher throughput rates, enhanced multimedia support, and integration with wireless local area network WLAN) technology.

"The GPRS to HSDPA evolution provides one of the most robust technology portfolios and an optimum framework for realizing the inevitable mass market potential for mobile wireless data," confirmed the paper's author Peter Rysavy. "And that technology roadmap will continue as new enhancements are being considered for both 3GPP's Release 7 and Long Term Evolution Project. It's obvious why more than 30 operators have announced their deployment of UMTS/HSDPA and it is expected that most all GSM operators will evolve to this technology."