T-Mobile USA set for 42 Mbps HSPA+ upgrade

LAS VEGAS — T-Mobile USA Inc. (DTEGY) is set to boost its HSPA+ network over the next 12 months, announcing plans to increase network download speeds up to a theoretical 42 megabits per second, or roughly twice the speeds the carrier currently offers for its “4G” branded service. T-Mobile USA has noted that its current 4G service offers real-world speeds between five and 10 Mbps, so theoretically the new offering could see those real-world speeds double.
The carrier said it plans to cover 140 million potential customers in 25 markets with the increased speed capabilities by the middle of this year. T-Mobile USA’s current 21 Mbps HSPA+ network covers 200 million pops in 100 markets.
Phlipp Humm, president and CEO, also explained the carrier’s decision to wait on LTE for now and upgrade on the HSPA path instead.
“Sometimes it is smart to wait for technology to mature and this is exactly what we did,” he said.
The 900,000 HSPA+ devices that the carrier has sold so far “proves the rapid adoption of 4G from the T-Mobile customers,” Humm added. “The network only comes truly to life when paired with 4G devices.”
The company spent a good deal of time at its press conference today distinguishing itself from the herd of other carriers launching 4G services.
CTO Neville Ray said T-Mobile USA’s HSPA+ network is currently 160% larger than Verizon Wireless’ LTE network and 70% of all network traffic was carried on ethernet backhaul as of last October.
Ray reiterated T-Mobile USA’s belief in LTE eventually, but said it’s going to take time to mature.
In support of those faster possible speeds on 42 Mbps HSPA+, T-Mobile USA also said it plans to begin launching compatible devices during the second half of this year, though a wireless modem from ZTE Corp. that the carrier is using to demonstrate the new higher speeds is scheduled for launch during the first half of the year.
In the meantime, the carrier said it would launch more devices compatible with its current 21 Mbps HSPA+ service during the first half of this year, with plans to unveil at least 25 4G devices by the end of the year. As part of that expansion, T-Mobile USA said it would in the next couple of weeks begin offering Dell Inc.’s Streak 7 tablet device. The tablet is powered by Google Inc.’s Android 2.2 operating system, includes a seven-inch screen and runs a dual-core Nvidia Corp. Tegra 2 processor.
T-Mobile USA previously unveiled a tablet from LG Electronics Inc. that it said would support the carrier’s 21 Mbps HSPA+ network as well as run Google’s latest Android 3.0 OS. Details on that device were scarce, though the carrier did say it planned to launch in the coming months.