4G WORLD — It’s no secret that mobile data is driving the demand for speedy networks. But while everyone talks about LTE’s future as lightning-fast technology, HSPA has the potential to deliver a speedy online mobile experience.
That’s the finding of 4G Americas, which just published a new white paper called “The Evolution of HSPA: The 3GPP Standards Progress for Fast Mobile Broadband Using HSPA+." The report says that as 3GPP specifications evolve to Rel-11, HSPA peak data rates could rise as high as 336Mbps. How soon that might be is anyone’s guess.
Since the move to LTE is clearly on – with Verizon Wireless and AT&T in the U.S. both debuting LTE networks in the past year, for example – why is this important, you ask? Because HSPA will continue to play a critical role in mobile broadband for years to come.
“Whereas, LTE has tremendous momentum in the marketplace and it is clearly the next-generation technology of choice for all operators, HSPA will continue to be a leader in mobile broadband subscriptions for the next five to ten years," said Chris Pearson, president of 4G Americas. “Explosive growth of wireless data usage is driving the standardization of technical enhancements to increase throughput speeds and capabilities of HSPA mobile broadband networks."
4G Americas cites forecasts that put HSPA at more than 3.5 billion subscribers worldwide by the end of 2016. There are 412 commercial deployments of HSPA in 157 countries, including 165 HSPA+ networks. With the continued deployment of LTE throughout the world, and the existing ubiquitous coverage of HSPA in the world, HSPA+ will continue to be enhanced through the 3GPP standards process to provide a seamless solution for operators as they upgrade their networks.
“If operators are able to gain new additional harmonized spectrum from governments, they will no doubt deploy LTE, However, it is clear that HSPA+ technology is still exceptionally strong and will continue to provide operators with the capability to meet the exploding data usage demands of their customers in existing spectrum holdings," Pearson said.
