The evolution of HSPA almost triples the theoretical maximum downlink rate to 42 megabits per second and is due to be introduced during 2008. However, current research by Japan’s NTT DoCoMo http://www.nttdocomo.com into UMTS LTE networks indicates that this will be only an intermediate step in mobile broadband.
“Achieving speeds of up to 42 Mbps is an important milestone,” says Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson. The increase in downlink data rate through HSPA Evolution represents almost a tripling of the maximum HSDPA rates currently possible and an even larger leap over widely deployed HSDPA implementations with downlink rates of 3.6 or 7.2 Mbps. HSPA Evolution uses MIMO, or multiple-input multiple-output, antenna technology to achieve the increase. Ewaldsson believes the improvement strengthens HSPA’s position as the leading mobile broadband technology.
HSPA Evolution is intended as an upgrade for existing networks. “Consumers will enjoy an even richer communications experience thanks to higher speeds, while operators can reduce network operating costs through the increased throughput provided by HSPA Evolution,” Ewaldsson says, identifying benefits for consumers and businesses. According to Ericsson, there are currently 185 commercial HSPA-enabled networks in 80 countries. The company says it supplied almost half of them and that the corresponding operators should be able to migrate smoothly to HSPA Evolution.
According to NTT DoCoMo, however, it may not take long for even 42 Mbps to be clearly surpassed. At CTIA Wireless, the company will present results from a field test of its “Super 3G” system that achieved downlink transmission rates of 250 Mbps. The UMTS LTE system uses MIMO technology and a 20 MHz frequency band and is theoretically capable of reaching 300 Mbps. The company says the technical development required to launch Super 3G networks should be completed in 2009.
