Vodafone will tomorrow become the first mobile operator in the UK to offer its customers HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) laptop data cards for faster data transfer speeds. Effectively providing mobile broadband internet access, HSDPA is popularly referred to as a 3.5G protocol.
The first major UK conurbations with HSDPA coverage are Greater London, Glasgow, Sheffield, Greater Manchester and Tyneside. Vodafone said it plans full 3G broadband roll out covering its entire 3G network by summer 2007. Roaming access will also be available in Austria, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Hong Kong.
Mark Bond, Vofafone UK's Sales Director, Enterprise Business Unit, said, “3G broadband is designed to meet the needs of today’s ‘work anywhere’ business culture, as more and more people access their email or office network whilst on the move or away from the office.”
This new service offers peak download speeds of around 1.4Mbps, upload speeds of up to 384 Kbps, and up to three times the capacity of 3G, allowing more users in the same location to use it.
John Delaney, Principal Analyst with Ovum, said, "Businesses should welcome the availability of faster 3G networks in the UK. The speeds that HSDPA can deliver under real-life operating conditions will significantly improve the mobile working experience, enabling mobile workers to do things more quickly and easily. Employers in some industry sectors should expect to see some real productivity gains as a result."
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