AT&T Mobility to increase uplink data speeds

AT&T Mobility released its first High-Speed Uplink Packet Access data card, and said that it had begun adding HSUPA upgrades to its network. The upgrades are expected to increase uplink speeds from the current maximum of 384 kilobits per second to average speeds of between 500 and 800 kbps. HSDPA, the downlink technology, supports average speeds between 600 kbps and 1.4 megabits per second, according to the company.
The Sierra Wireless AirCard 881 card will be available for free after rebates through Nov. 3 with a new two-year data service contract of $60 pr more per month. The card also supports EDGE and GPRS technology.
AT&T Mobility said that it was rolling out the HSUPA technology within its network, but that availability in specific markets would not be announced until later this fall. The carrier’s HSDPA footprint includes more than 200 major metro areas in the U.S.
The company said that HSUPA will be added throughout the network during the rest of 2007 and early 2008, and that extensions of the company’s 3G deployment would include both HSPA technologies.