Barcelona, 15 February 2006 - Mobistar will be one of the first operators in the world to roll out the HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology throughout its 3G network. The solution makes it possible to at least triple the transmission speed of the current 3G (UMTS) and reach a maximal real speed of about 1.8 Mb/s, comparable to ADSL experience.
HSDPA, 3.5 G mobile telephony, is to UMTS what EDGE is to GPRS.
HSDPA marks an important leap forward in 3G technology. Focusing on the optimisation of the down link in packet mode, the solution allows a significant increase in the speed of the network, more than three times faster than UMTS. While UMTS today authorises a maximum downlink speed of 384 Kbit/s, HSDPA promises a theoretical maximum speed of 14 Mbit/s. In practice, it can reach speeds to 1.8 Mbit/s, comparable, in terms of experience, to ADSL. In addition to speed, the switch to HSDPA makes it possible to tangibly increase the network capacity thanks to a better allocation of its resources.
| Customer experience | 2G (standard) | 2.5 G (GPRS) | 2.75 G (EDGE) | 3G (UMTS) | 3.5 G (HSDPA) |
| Max. theory data rate (down) | 9.6 kb/s | 48 kb/s | +/- 220 kb/s | +/- 380 Kb/s | +/- 1.8 Mb/s |
| Connection time | 30s | 5s | 5s | 3s | 3s |
| Audio streaming | no | medium | excellent | excellent | excellent |
| Video streaming | no | low | good | excellent | excellent |
| Video telephony | no | no | not yet | excellent | excellent |
| Image (300 KB MMS) | no | 307s | 82s | <60s | <20s |
| Internet access (300KB web page) | 256s | 98s | 25s | <16s | <5s |
| Transfer (4MB file) | 58min | 22min | 6min | <4min | <1,2min |
Mobistar manages a simplified and ultra-fast roll-out
HSDPA will be rolled out in the best possible conditions thanks to the strategic decisions taken by Mobistar within the framework of the overhaul of its network in 2005. This network is entirely based on a radio infrastructure developed by Nortel Networks, the world-wide leader in HSDPA technology. The UMTS network that is already up and running was designed to make HSDPA operational within a very short timescale in return for a moderate investment, by simply installing the applications necessary for its operation on the existing 3G infrastructure.
Roll-out is scheduled for the first quarter of 2006 and will be accessible to users during the third quarter in the Brussels and Antwerp regions. In line with the aims of 3G, HSDPA coverage will reach at least 40% of the Belgian population at the end of 2006 and will also cover the regions of Ghent and Liège.
Mobistar: the first network to offer broadband everywhere Belgium
The development of HSPDA technology makes it possible to increase Mobistar's range of broadband products, the only operator in a position to do so throughout Belgium ever since EDGE reached a coverage of 99% of the Belgian population (at the end of 2005). The complementarity between the 2G and 3G infrastructures, developed by the same supplier, also makes it possible to ensure a smooth transition between these two technologies.
This development is quite a boon for the operator, who thus responds to the growing expectations of customers, mainly in the business segment, for mobile solutions that allow data transmission, Internet access or remote connection to the company network.