Huawei unveils HSPA+ mobile broadband system

Demand for mobile broadband makes HSUPA a competitor to fixed-line DSL

Huawei Technologies has unveiled an end-to-end HSPA+ system, touted as the next upgrade to High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) mobile broadband.

As demand for mobile broadband makes HSUPA a competitor to slower fixed-line DSL services, the next speed bump in UK mobile operator deployments could be systems like these, according to the Chinese networking and communications provider.

The fastest mobile broadband services come from UK operators deploying HSUPA technology, which gives real-world maximum download speeds of 2Mbit/s subject to coverage.

Huawei claims a downlink speed of 21Mbit/s with its HSPA+ system which, although probably not equating to a real-world speed, is almost 50 per cent better than HSUPA's theoretical downlink speed of 14.4Mbit/s.

"We are confident that we will have the HSPA+ solution ready for commercial use in the early part of 2009," said Huawei chief executive Edward Chen.

The company claimed that the technology used in its system is "backwards compatible with all prior generations of Wideband Code Division Multiple Access and evolves existing networks without the need for new spectrum".