Qualcomm achieves world's first HSPA+ data call

Breakthrough promises faster internet connectivity for mobile users

1 August 2008 15:43 GMT / By Katie Scott

Mobile phone services could be significantly improved thanks to a breakthrough made by Qualcomm.

The wireless technology and data solutions firm has announced it has made the world's first HSPA+ data call.

In basic teams - the High-Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+) network technology can achieve a data transfer rate of more than 20Mbps in a 5MHz channel.

This means HSPA+ will allow operators to double the data and triple the voice capacity of their networks compared to current HSPA technology.

"Today's call represents another milestone for Qualcomm in the evolution of the HSPA road map", said Alex Katouzian, vice president of product management, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies.

"End users will enjoy quicker connections to the Internet with HSPA+ while network operators will appreciate the opportunity to offer more services to their subscribers."

HSPA+ also is claimed to offer better response times, longer battery life and "an enhanced, always-on experience compared to the current generation of mobile networks".

The latest evolution of WCDMA technology, HSPA+ Release 7, will offer downlink data transfer rates of up to 28Mbps and uplink rates of up to 11Mbps.

But future HSPA+ releases are expected to support downlink peak rates of 42-84Mbps and uplink peak rates of 23Mbps.

And it doesn't need new spectrum, but works on existing networks.