The number of HSPA mobile broadband devices launched in the market has soared to 2,579, according to the latest survey published this week by the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA). This represents more than a 48% expansion since October 2009. The number of suppliers increased from 190 to 235 in the same period, says the GSA.
The number of devices supporting HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) has increased 110% since October 2009 to 724 models, and more than half (364) support, or are easily upgradeable for 5.76 Mbps peak or higher data speed.
Smartphones are another strong growth segment, says GSA. Approximately 1 in 3 models of HSPA phones launched in the market today incorporate WiFi and GPS technologies.
Over 55% of HSPA devices support a peak data speed of at least 7.2 Mbps on the downlink (excluding notebooks and e-book readers). 50 HSPA Evolution (HSPA+) devices have been launched.
The HSPA mobile broadband devices eco-system extends to all the main cellular bands. A key trend confirmed by GSA in this survey is the boom in availability of HSPA devices which operate in the 900 MHz band (UMTS900), in support of mobile broadband network deployments in re-farmed (former GSM-only) spectrum. Excluding notebooks and e-book readers, 401 HSPA devices i.e. 19% can operate in the 900 MHz band, and user penetration is continuously building. This is an important point, particularly for markets in the Asia Pacific region, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
While the main HSPA band globally is 2100 MHz, the 850 MHz band is very well supported by 940 devices (excluding notebooks and e-book readers), says the GSA. The 850/2100 MHz frequency combination is supported by 806 devices, and 690 tri-band 850/1900/2100 MHz devices enable global roaming.
GSA recently confirmed that mobile broadband service is now commercially available on 357 HSPA networks in 148 countries. Almost 99% of WCDMA networks have implemented HSPA for fast mobile broadband connectivity, and approaching 1 in 5 of these networks have launched HSPA Evolution (HSPA+) for higher capacity and an improved user experience of mobile broadband services.