AT&T is working to double the capacity of its 3G network, effectively boosting bandwidth through software enhancements before it begins a full migration over to downlink speeds of 21 Mbps. The current 3G downlink capacity on its high-speed packet access (HSPA) is 3.6 megabits per second with an expected boost to 7.2 Mbps ahead of the release of Apple's next-gen iPhone. Many cult of iPhone faithful would argue that they're far from experiencing the claimed 3.6 Mbps speeds in some metropolitan cities.
"AT&T is increasing the downlink capacity on its high-speed packet access (HSPA) from 3.6 megabits per second to 7.2 Mb/s through software upgrades at the base station," said Scott McElroy, AT&T Mobility vice president of technology realization "AT&T currently has the enhanced networks running in two test markets but plans to extend those capabilities to its entire network." Source: Teleyhony Online
Reports indicate that AT&T plans to start migrating its 3G networks to evolved-HSPA (or HSPA+), which would triple peak speeds to 21 Mbps, an upgrade the company is planning for later this year. AT&T's next evolution is expected to be the 4G LTE network aimed at 2011.
"AT&T isn't just adding capacity through upgrades; it's also adding HSPA carriers at many cellsites. "It's being done on a market-by-market basis," McElroy said. "We're adding second and even third carriers according to demand."
Comments