Telstra claims world first test of dual channel HSPA+

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 19 May 2010 20:10

Your IT - Mobility

Telstra says it has become the first carrier in the world to test HSPA+ dual channel technology in a live, commercial cellular network.

Telstra announced back in February that parts of its network had been upgraded to support dual channel HSPA+, capable of a maximum downstream bandwidth of 42Mbps, but only now has it been able to test this network with real world user devices.

In a posting on the Telstra Exchange web site, COO Michael Rocca said: "Just last week we proudly took the next step towards making HSPA+ Dual Channel technology a commercial reality on our Next G network'¦We carried out the world's first over-the-air testing on a live commercial network."

Rocca said the test had been undertaken with "an advanced pre-production model of a USB mobile broadband device that is dual channel-enabled." He added; "Development of the commercial version of this device is nearing its final stages and we expect the modems to hit shelves later this year."

Rocca said that the test "In a good signal environment under controlled conditions averaged download speeds of about 22Mbps, approximately double those experienced under the same conditions at the same location with a standard BigPond Elite HSPA+ rated device.

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