Global HSPA+ Network Upgrades Accelerate

A total of 58 networks have been upgraded to HSPA+ in the last 18 months, according to a research study completed by the GSMA’s Wireless Intelligence service. Over 100 hundred operators have committed to HSPA+ globally and that the technology now accounts for 15-20% of the 300 commercial HSPA deployments worldwide. Upcoming HSPA+ service launches are expected in the coming months from AT&T; Chunghwa and Far EasTone in Taiwan; Singapore’s SingTel, Japan’s SoftBank; and Germany’s T-Mobile, O2 and E-Plus.

GSMA notes that real world performance of HSPA+ networks rivals the performance seen on mobile WiMAX networks. A recent GSMA backed study by Signals Research Group found HSPA+ downlink data rates above 5Mbps around 50 percent of the time, with peak speeds of around 17 Mbps.

The most common version of HSPA+ (64QAM) offers theoretical top speeds of around 21 Mbps. Several carriers, including Telstra in Australia, are rolling out HSPA+ dual carrier technology, capable of peak download speeds of 42 Mbps.
http://www.gsmworld.com