What's the latest and the greatest? It's high-speed access for 3G/UMTS mobile networks, called HSDPA (for High-Speed Downlink Packet Access). The name may be a mouthful, but the technology – pioneered in Japan – is hot, hot, hot.

HSDPA acts like a turbocharger for 3G phones and 3G-enabled laptops and PDAs, boosting download speeds between 5 and 8 times and doubling network capacity, putting 3G users in the fast lane. With HSDPA, everybody benefits:

• Corporate 3G users can retrieve e-mails with bulky attachments in a flash,
  
• Individual users can enjoy superb quality-video streaming and fast downloading of video clips.

Alcatel's partner Fujitsu is currently field-testing HSDPA in Japan for the world's leading 3G operator, NTT DoCoMo. Meanwhile, in France, Alcatel and Fujitsu have opened an HSDPA demonstration system for Europe.

What is HSDPA?

A long string of letters, HSDPA refers to a new release in 3G telephony standards, issued by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), a mobile industry standards-setting body. The latest release boosts downlink speeds from the current end-user rate of 384 kbps (up to 2 Mbps according to standards) to a maximum value according to standards of 14.4 Mbps. Real life end-user speeds will be in the range of 2 to 3 Mbps. That's fast!

Downlink, by the way, is what you get while uplink is what you send . So boosting the downlink speed means that when you request information (like a video clip or a PowerPoint file), the data will download at blistering speeds onto your cell phone, laptop or PDA.

The new release provides for two delivery systems (or modulations). One of these, with a maximum downlink speed of 3.6 Mb/s, is mandatory. The other, with a maximum downlink speed of 14.4 Mbps, is optional. Alcatel is offering both modulations, to provide maximum speeds for operators and end-users alike.

In addition to increased speeds, HSDPA boosts traffic capacity on existing networks by up to 100% and dramatically improves quality of service. This makes for a cost-effective solution that generates the capacity and bandwidth needed to deliver 3G services.

Making Life Easy

HSDPA will make life easy for 3G customers, providing vastly better service for both corporate users and individuals, with data delivered at speeds comparable to or better than fixed-line broadband access systems.

• Corporate users will have easy and secure mobile access to corporate networks, with rapid retrieval and downloading of confidential corporate information.
  
• Consumers will enjoy superior quality for video services, including video streaming and gaming.
  
• All customers will enjoy fast Web browsing, with rapid access to graphics-heavy Internet sites.

HSDPA also offers significantly improved indoor mobile service coverage, making 3G services fully available in large buildings, shopping centers, metros and other hard-to-cover areas. Indeed, an absolute must!

Key Operator Issues

• Experience is a vital issue. Has it been done before? Can it be deployed successfully? For these answers Alcatel can look to the Japanese experience of Fujitsu, its partner in the Evolium SAS joint venture. The major supplier to NTT DoCoMo, Fujitsu is a world leader in 3G and the most advanced in HSDPA deployments.
  
• Indoor coverage is essential to the success of 3G. Alcatel has extensive expertise in this area through its partnership with DoCoMo Engineering, which has installed more than thousand 3G sites inside office buildings, shopping centers and metros in Japan.
  
• Cost is clearly crucial. Here, Alcatel's Evolium™ radio infrastructure, with its multi-standard architecture, has a definite advantage. The Evolium™ 3G/UMTS requires only a software upgrade to add HSDPA to existing equipment, for enormous cost savings and a rapid time to market.
  
• Handset interoperability is also key. This is the ability of different handsets and networks to work together, regardless of the manufacturers involved. Alcatel is very active, running interoperability tests on chipsets and handsets as they appear.

Boosting Customer Demand

By dramatically improving access speeds and quality of service, HSDPA will boost customer demand for 3G/UMTS mobile services. At the same time, HSDPA will give operators a cost-effective way to deliver those services.

Alcatel is very well placed for the launch of HSDPA, leveraging an extensive field experience with its Japanese partners, together with Paris-area demonstrations of HSDPA and commercial 3G/FOMA™ mobile services from NTT DoCoMo. In this context, Alcatel's multi-standard, HSDPA-ready Evolium™ platform is a decisive asset.