Qualcomm test drive 20Mbps HSPA+ chipset

Qualcomm - the guys who make the chips inside the majority of USB modems - have just completed their first tests on a new chipset, the MDM8200. This chipset is designed to support HSPA+ - the technology behind the next generation of mobile broadband networks. HSPA+ will offer download speeds of up to 42Mbps and uploads of 22Mbps. Qualcomm managed to achieve a blistering transfer rate of 20Mbps. We’re unlikely to see HSPA+ here in the UK for another 5 years. Ofcom will be auctioning the required radio spectrum – known as the 3G expansion band – to UK operators later this year. Once the spectrum has been awarded, the mobile phone companies will then need to upgrade their base stations by deploying new hardware and increasing the speed of the links back to their exchanges.