HSPA+ Multiflow technology could double your phone's download speeds

Leeky

Posts: 3,357   +116

Nokia Siemens Networks and Qualcomm are set to reveal their partnership's new HSPA+ Multiflow technology at the Mobile World Congress next week. The new technology will enhance existing mobile broadband solutions offering up to twice the current speed of 3G HSPA+ by utilizing two base stations simultaneously.

Both companies will demo the new hardware at the MWC, with Nokia using its own commerical base stations and Qualcomm supplying the prototype USB dongles, according to an official press release by Nokia Siemens.

Current 3G HSPA+ devices can only connect to one cell tower at a time, which often causes a frustrating slowdown in network performance as users get closer to the edge of base stations. The solution from the two firms enables handsets to connect to two base stations at the same time, using separate data streams that can offer up to twice the current speeds.

In order to use the new technology handsets will require new hardware, but on the carrier's end, most network operators will be able to offer the new technology to customers after installing a software update to existing infrastructure.

There is no current information on how using two data streams at the same time will affect battery life, but more information is expected as the new solution nears closer to commerical availability.

The new technology is still a little way off production, although the two firms expect it to gain standardization by the 3GPP later this year. Consumers will have to wait until at least the second half of next year before it becomes commercially available but it could however offer a viable alternative to LTE.

Permalink to story.

 
Well thats all well and good but can't you come out with faster landline broadband speeds instead? I mean its nice to have all this speed on my phone and all, but i would rather my home broadband was faster than my phones to be totally honest.

Its pretty bad that my iPhone is capable of 14mbps but my internet connection at home is only capable of 10.5mbps...
 
Still kinda sucks if you're stuck to BT or don't have the option of Virgin Media's fibre-optic network doesn't it?

To be fair though, its not the fault of these two companies for the most part. It is frustrating though that network speed can be so fragmented in the UK. The US for the most part has it much, much worse though mate.
 
Yeah they do, Thats why i'm confused as to why company's are hell bent on faster speeds on mobiles?
I mean, there is only so much you can do on a mobile still, your not regularly downloading massive 1GB files on your mobile, 14mbps seems plenty on a phone.

Can't they start working on bringing broadband speed to the home by cable or some form of fibre?
I would much rather they concentrated on that than mobile speeds...
 
A buddy of mine has Unlimited Data on his phone. So he just pays for the tethering option of around 30$ and uses his phone as his internet service. He swears by it. He says its faster then any landline he has used before.
 
But how can they they double download speeds when they are running out spectrum? wont it not matter if you cant get Data in the first place??

http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/21/technology/spectrum_crunch/?npt=NP1&hpt=hp_c1
 
This is great news! My Sprint 3G speeds could double from 50 kbps to 100 kbps! That means I won't have to start loading Facebook's news feed before I leave my desk if i want to look at it on the bus on the way home!
 
Can't they start working on bringing broadband speed to the home by cable or some form of fibre?
I would much rather they concentrated on that than mobile speeds...

Aye, but the thing is, they're not the company's that should be investing into our ground network infrastructure.

This partnership is looking at advancing current wireless network solutions to offer improved speeds and connections. As well as the speed increase (assuming you are in the range of two towers) it should offer better 3G speeds when on the boundaries of the wireless tower as you roam around.

For example, where I live is right on the edge of T-Mobile's cell tower. They now use Orange for signal as well. On one side of my house I have low 3G HSPA+ speed with T-Mobile, and on the other it hits Orange and knocks down to GPRS signal. Literally between one side of the house and the other.

So this solution as I understand it would offer me an increased network performance when I move out of the range of the T-Mobile tower and onto the Orange one, thus stopping my HSPA+ service from dropping completely just because I've moved 20 metres.
 
Back