Finnish operator DNA to launch 21 Mbps HSPA+ by the end of this year

I’m in Finland and I care about this, so therefore you have to care about this. DNA, which is really just the cool version of Sonera, feel free to correct me on this my fellow Finnish drinking buddies, is currently testing 21 Mbps HSPA+ and expects to launch it during the autumn of this year. Not only will the download speed be faster, but the upload speed is expected to hit 5.8 Mbps. The sweet thing about this upgrade is all that needs to be done is a simple update of the software in the cell towers. DNA is proud of the fact that their networking equipment is provided by Ericsson, which is a bit problematic since every Finnish person knows Swedish people are gay.

“For the time being, we have only seen the beginnings of 3G/HSPA technology. The new 21 Mbps data transfer speed is a natural development of 3G/HSPA, while next year we will see speeds up to 42 Mbps”, said DNA’s technical director Tommy Olenius.

“Our objective is to continue improving our customer experience by investing in network transfer speeds and capacity. Increasing the geographical coverage of 3G network is a vital part of these efforts. As we are currently busy boosting our 3G coverage through UMTS 900 as well, we have in fact doubled our geographical coverage over the last six months. Our ultimate goal, a national 3G/HSPA network coverage, will be achieved between 2012 and 2013,” added Mr Olenius.

Hey DNA, and all the other Finnish operators, how about fixing the damn reception along the railroad? I can’t go to Tampere from Helsinki without my connection being lost dozens of times! Disclosure: I’m on Saunalahti, which is the prepaid brand offered by Elisa, Sonera’s number one rival.

[Thanks to Hannu Laiti for the tip!]