O2 gears up for HSDPA offensive

UK mobile operator O2 has revealed that it will launch what it claims is the first commercial High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) network in Europe on Tuesday next week. 

The super-fast mobile network, which offers speeds of up to 3.6Mbps, will be launched on the Isle of Man, where O2 trades under the Manx Telecom brand.

O2 has been working on the deployment of the HSPDA network since December, using Lucent kit including UMTS and HSDPA infrastructure as well as IP Multimedia Subsystem.

O2 said it will introduce voice services and mobile data services such as DVD-quality streaming video, music downloads and VPN access to corporate networks, over the HSDPA network.

Lucent's IP Multimedia Subsystem offering is being integrated with the current system and will be operational early next year, introducing the potential to deploy Voice over IP over wireless services. 

As well as being a showcase for the US manufacturer, Manx Telecom's HSDPA rollout is also understood to be a test-bed of the technology for O2's mobile operations throughout Europe.

The operator has a pan-European agreement with Nortel and another with Nokia, which identifies both companies as principal suppliers of HSDPA equipment to O2's operations in the UK, Ireland and Germany, where O2 is already trialling the technology.

Commercial HSDPA services are expected to launch across Europe in early 2006.

• Telefónica buys O2 for £17.7bn