World’s first 21Mbps eHSPA/HSPA+ data “call” made in Australia

By Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 08 December 2008 05:26

Strategy

Although data “calls” on 21Mbps networks and equipment have been made in the labs and in demonstrations, Australia is the first place in the world where such a call has been made on a commercial, deployed 21Mbps eHSPA network, with a full commercial launch due early 2009.

Telstra and Ericsson have teamed together to bring the 21Mbps eHSPA/HSPA+/HSPA Evolution network to Australia, and have just announced the first “data call” was made on the 5th of December 2008 at 4pm (1600 AEST).

Funnily enough, eHSPA, HSPA+ and HSPA Evolution are all names for the same thing – the newest, fastest standard of “high speed packet access” technology.

The download speed is “up to” 21Mbps and the upload speeds will be “up to” 5.8Mbps, although these are “peak speeds” and as always, real world speeds will be slower, although presumably a lot faster than current 7.2Mbps download and 1.9Mbps upload “up to”, “peak” speeds.

This announcement follows demonstrations of the 21Mbps HSPA Evoltion at Ericsson HQ and a demonstration at a Telstra investor day last month, at which Micosoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer was a guest.

However today’s announcement from Australia’s dominant telco, Telstra, and global telecommunications behemoth Ericsson, marks an “industry first”, which both companies say is “the successful activation of HSPA Evolution functionality capable of peak network speeds up to 21 Mbps into the Telstra Next G commercial network and the world’s first data call on the newly-enabled network.”

In addition, the announcement says that: “For the first time, a commercial network makes use of the enhanced, standardized improvements called HSPA Evolution.”

Telstra promotes the otherwise obvious nature of a network speed and capacity increase, saying that: “this enhancement adds a new dimension to broadband experience with the capability for significantly faster internet browsing and file download, even faster than many fixed broadband connections. With HSPA Evolution, operators will increase the capacity in the networks and reduce the costs to deliver Mobile Broadband services.”

Telstra and Ericsson speak on page 2, while LTE is also due - please read on!