T-Mobile has confirmed that it will launch its HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access, aka 3.5G) network in Germany this quarter, with a UK launch to follow in the summer. The service will offer data rates of up to 1.8 Megabits per second (Mbps), way ahead of 3G data speeds.
The company unveiled the service in a keynote presentation at the 3GSM Congress in Barcelona today, along with the first HSDPA mobile handset, the BenQ EF91 (more on this here) and the first HSDPA, Wi-Fi, 3G and 2G pocket PC, made by HTC. It also set out its route map for broadband mobile speeds to exceed 14 Mbps by 2008, on track towards speeds beyond 20 Mbps by the end of the decade.
The company announced a widening of its open internet access webnwalk range, the extension of its mobile TV services, and the intention to launch instant messaging. Across the group, T-Mobile said it had sold almost 1 million data-centric devices in 2005, including 400,000 webnwalk capable devices, and built data revenues in Europe to around 900 million euros, an increase of over 40%.
We are doubling broadband mobile access speeds each year, and our planning is now turning to speeds beyond 20 Mbps by the end of this decade” said T-Mobile Chief Technology Officer, Hamid Akhavan. This opens up mobile to the unlimited world of broadband content, including high definition.
Whille Orange, Vodafone and 02 are all known to be running HSDPA trials, T-Mobiles is the first announcement of a firm date for the start of a service. More news on the UK launch as we have it.