Mobile device-makers and communications carriers eager to offer broadband services would do well to jump on the HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) bandwagon, according to a pair of reports issued by ABI Research this week. The key prerequisites are materializing, as next-generation UMTS networks begin rolling out in Europe and Asia, according to the market research firm.

An HSDPA whitepaper published by Nokia states that HSDPA offers data speeds up to five times faster (10 Mbps) than what is possible with today's advanced 3G networks. This is accomplished through:

• Adaptive modulation and coding that adjusts to the quality of the radio link
• A fast scheduling function based on information about the channel quality, terminal capability, QoS class and power/code availability
• fast retransmissions with “soft combining and incremental redundancy”

“This is an opportunity for infrastructure vendors,” says Edward Rerisi, Vice President of ABI Research. “There will be a natural progression to HSDPA soon. Many vendors are already selling equipment that's HSDPA-ready, and only requires some software upgrades. It's an even better opportunity for mobile operators, who should be able to switch on HSDPA relatively quickly, once they have their networks rolled out.”

ABI's two new reports are described as follows:

• HSDPA — Mobile Broadband — explores and quantifies the evolution of 3G UMTS cellular systems to HSDPA. It analyzes the drivers to these higher data rates, and compares them with other technologies by which high speed data can be offered to a mobile platform.
• Cellular PC Card Modems — examines the meager demand for CPC technology in the past, and the drivers behind potentially much larger volumes in the future.

ABI also offers the Wireless Infrastructure Research Service, which provides current data on the deployment of wireless infrastructure worldwide.

Last month, LinuxDevices.com's sister publication PC Magazine reported that Cingular plans to roll out HSDPA in 15 to 20 US cities by the end of this year.

 
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