Vodafone Tests HSPA+, TeliaSonera Plans LTE Rollout

Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) has announced that its trials of HSPA+ achieved peak data-download speeds of 16Mbps, a vast improvement on the current maximum for its HSDPA service of 7.2 Mbps. Vodafone said it will now attempt to reach speeds of up to 21 Mbps “early in 2009″ using multiple antennae on both the base station and the handset, which will give realistic download speeds of 4 Mbps rising to 13 Mbps in good conditions (near the base station, few other users etc) reports ZDNet UK — although there doesn’t seem to be any indication when the new service would be rolled out. Ars Technica notes that the revised standard could be deployed as an overlay to existing 3G networks, although new handsets will be required.

Meanwhile, Swedish telco TeliaSonera said that plans to launch LTE networks in 2010, signing Ericsson (NSDQ: ERIC) to build its Stockholm network and Huawei to build its Oslo network — the first commercial LTE contract for both of them. The 4G technology will provide a strong boost to speeds, with Ericsson currently achieving speeds up to 160Mbps in laboratory conditions and an average speed of 78Mbps in field tests, reports ZDNet UK.

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