Qualcomm Achieves World’s First HSPA+ Data Call

[Ddeere2]

SAN DIEGO — August 01, 2008 — Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies and data solutions, today announced that it has completed the world’s first data call using High-Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+) network technology. The call achieved a data transfer rate of more than 20 Mbps in a 5 MHz channel. HSPA+ will allow operators to double the data and triple the voice capacity of their networks compared to current HSPA deployments. Today’s successful data throughput was achieved on Qualcomm’s MDM8200™ product, the industry’s first chipset solution for HSPA+.

"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 known as HSPA Evolved, is designed to enhance the mobile broadband user experience and enable a wide range of services. The technology delivers higher peak and average data rates, lower latency, 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 28 Mbps and uplink rates of up to 11 Mbps. Future HSPA+ releases are expected to support downlink peak rates of 42-84 Mbps and uplink peak rates of 23 Mbps by using a variety of advanced techniques, including multiple carriers for transferring data. HSPA+ is backward compatible with prior generations of WCDMA and does not require new spectrum for deployment. Operators can leverage their existing network and spectrum resources to offer next-generation wireless bandwidth and performance.

Qualcomm’s MDM8200 chipset is currently sampling to customers and supports deployments in existing frequency bands, as well as in the 900 MHz band and the 2.5 GHz IMT-2000 extension band.

newswireless.net .:. PR releases .:. Qualcomm Achieves World?s First HSPA+ ?

This is awesome. Wonder how soon we will see the tech put in place. Any of the wireless techies here know about this?

[RadioRaiders]

Originally Posted by Ddeere2

This is awesome. Wonder how soon we will see the tech put in place. Any of the wireless techies here know about this?

eHSPA, or (HSPA+) will require new handsets to support the MIMO and new modulation. Base stations will also need hardware upgrades. But I think the main obstacle will be the backhaul to the switch. The radio access is bypassing the current transmission capacities. So really, it will depend on how fast the operators will be able to upgrade their transmission lines (ie: how quick can they get fiber to their sites). That is a major project and alot of work. Upgrading the base stations to eHSPA is a piece of cake in comparison.

[bobolito]

HSPA+ is just months away from becoming commercial, right? So why is it that carriers don't start NOW to run fiber to all those switches? Why are they still running archaic T1 lines? I mean replacing all those lines with fiber is going to be a lot of work. Why not start now and get your networks ready for the future that's already here? And with LTE less than 5 years away, how do they expect to support the speeds those technologies promise? Haven't we learned the lesson of what happened to AT&T's 3G network recently?

[Ddeere2]

I knew they had to upgrade their overhaul, but can't they do microwave to and from some sites? I doubt AT&T will put fiber soon because like with Uverse, they're only doing FTTN and not FTTH like Verizon. So would it be safe to say to wait a few months for HSPA+ handsets to come out?

[RadioRaiders]

PDH microwave links (what most operators have to sites now) are good up to 34Mbps or so. After that they would need to upgrade to STM-1 links (155Mbps and higher) but I seriously doubt they will go that route. Fiber makes more sense. But that's a big task and will take time. They are probably thinking/talking about it now, but when will it start happening is anyones guess ...ask the bean-counters

Regular HSPA goes up to 14.4Mbps, and currently the operators are nowhere even near that. Don't hold your breath waiting for HSPA+ stuff to arrive anytime soon. I'd guess maybe a year or 2. For sure not a few months.

[Ddeere2]

Oh okay, I thought they would go with that because of some sites not being able to get fiber to the site. Yeah, fiber is cheaper now, its just the labor that takes and cost a lot. Just a thought that they could of used microwave links. But what about FSO's? Doubt they'll use Microwave or anything I'm thinking of, Fiber Optics is the way to go , lol. Just they should start upgrading and fixing the current network they have before they go and start thinking of this.

[spleck]

Originally Posted by bobolito

HSPA+ is just months away from becoming commercial, right? So why is it that carriers don't start NOW to run fiber to all those switches? Why are they still running archaic T1 lines? I mean replacing all those lines with fiber is going to be a lot of work. Why not start now and get your networks ready for the future that's already here? And with LTE less than 5 years away, how do they expect to support the speeds those technologies promise? Haven't we learned the lesson of what happened to AT&T's 3G network recently?

The answer is $$$. Why pay for installation now, adding depreciation costs to the books, and paying lease costs for bandwidth or the lines, if you can't recognize any additional profit from the higher speeds at this time? Most of the carriers don't even pay for enough backhaul for the capacity of the site as it is.

[bobolito]

But the problem is we know how long this is going to take to upgrade, so by the time they finish, the demand should be there. Or are we going to wait until 2015 to start running fiber and finish by 2020? That makes no sense. If they start now, they won't have to make massive and sudden investments and they can take their time. High capacity lines can be installed and they don't have to cost a lot of money if they are provisioned for lower speeds in the beginning. This way when demand arrives, all they have to do is raise the provisioning on those lines which can be done quickly to meet rising demand.

[RadioRaiders]

Upgrading transmission lines is like rennovating your bathroom. You know you have to do it, but you just keep putting it off until its really necessary

...don't worry, they'll do it. They have to..