Telstra claims world-first HSPA+ dual-carrier test

Telstra is planning a software upgrade of its Next G network in the next fortnight aimed at doubling wireless broadband speeds.

Acting chief operations officer Michael Rocca said in his first Exchange blog post that the deployment of HSPA+ dual carrier technology was “taking place by way of a software upgrade in conjunction with Telstra’s network partner, Ericsson.

Dual-carrier technology is a feature introduced by HSPA specification body 3GPP to enable telcos to increase data rates on their networks.

“We are on track to deploy software capable of supporting HSPA+ dual carrier technology in the Next G network by the end of the year,” he said.

Rocca claimed Telstra was the first carrier worldwide to test dual carrier technology outside of a vendor lab environment.

“Right now we are carrying out these first tests... on our [dedicated] Next G closed test network,” he said.

“I’m pleased to say, in the closed test environment we’re seeing an average of 36 Mbps download speeds, bursting to 40 Mbps.

“Our tests so far indicate that once the technology is deployed onto our live network, we expect customers with a compatible device in selected areas will experience speeds around double that of today’s typical user experience using a HSPA+ device.”

Telstra indicated in the lead-up to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that it would seek to double the 21 Mbps peak capability of its Next G network when the time was right.