AT&T has a lot of ‘runway’ left with HSPA : Exec: LTE will fit in

CHICAGO – Even as AT&T Mobility Inc. touted its decision to deploy Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology for its fourth-generation network, the carrier is confident it can tweak its HSPA network to increase speeds gradually, without having to rush to build out a 4G system.
Speaking at yesterday’s 4G Executive Summit, AT&T’s Hank Kafka, VP of Architecture, said the service provider won’t have to wait for a broad deployment of LTE to provide decent broadband coverage to its customers because the carrier can build on its extensive GSM-based ecosystem.
“We’re not starting from scratch,” he said. “GSM can build from the existing base. . It’s clear that LTE will fit neatly in that ecosystem.”
Kafka enforced his confidence in the transition to LTE based on the confidence AT&T Mobility has in its HSPA network, saying that it is truly and simply mobile broadband today. The introduction of the 3G iPhone at AT&T Mobility has made a huge impact in showing people how to use handsets to connect to the Internet, but it’s just the beginning of wireless broadband, Kafka said. “Now we’re on the verge of that creativity being unleashed,” he said, referring to a similar tipping point in the evolution of the Internet.
Kafka went on to take a jab at its unnamed CDMA competitor (presumably Verizon Wireless), which uses EV-DO technology, noting it has limited future. Verizon Wireless has announced it plans to deploy LTE for its fourth-generation network.
To push his point, Kafka displayed charts and statistics that identify 700 HSPA devices on the market, produced by 116 manufacturers with a 150% annual growth rate. “HSPA is more economical for carriers to deploy,” he said. “It requires fewer sites than WiMAX. The extendibility of HSPA gives the ability to smoothly go to the new technology.”
As for WiMAX, Kafka said: “Mobile WiMAX is expected to remain a niche technology.”
When questioned about 4G specifics, Kafka danced around the question, saying that requirements have yet to be defined. In regards to the show floor here in Chicago, Kafka said if people are seeing the phrase “4G” bandied about, it’s only because marketing employees are doing their jobs.
“Future evolutions may meet 4G requirements, but for now, true 4G technologies don’t exist because the requirements haven’t been defined,” he said.
WiMAX, ever dependent on its time-to-market advantage, will be able to try to meet those requirements first. Sprint Nextel Corp.’s Xohm service launched in Baltimore Monday. The carrier is offering two devices, the Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s Express card for laptop computers at $60 and a Zyxel desktop modem for $80. Sprint Nextel said both devices will provide download speeds of between 2 and 4 megabits per second, roughly twice the speed provided by existing cellular-based data services.
AT&T’s Kafka said he’d be surprised if LTE wasn’t significantly available within five years. In the meantime, two to three years out, Kafka said AT&T Mobility “has a lot of runway left with HSPA and HSPA-plus.”