Singaporean operator StarHub, using equipment from Chinese vendor Huawei, has successfully completed trials using dual carrier HSPA technology to achieve peak download speeds of 42.2 Mbps. Now forget about the fact that this sort of technology isn’t yet available in mobile phones, much less USB sticks, but the sheer fact that they switched to dual carrier technology is yielding StarHub an extra 20% worth of capacity due to increased spectral efficiency. The upgrade is expected to be completed by Q3 of this year and is mainly just a software update, minimal additional hardware is required.
How does dual carrier technology work? You’ll want to read this 5 page PDF, or this blog post, to get a better grasp of the idea. Basically it’s like drinking a beverage using two straws versus one, you simply get more.
AT&T can learn a lot from this, as well as the other American operators, who currently have issues giving their customers service with the limited amount of spectrum they have. Now yes, America is huge, and has 300 million people, and most of it is filled with corn fields, but that excuse only goes so far. Increasing capacity by 20%, even if just for cities like New York and San Francisco, can go a long way at improving public perception about your network.
Learn AT&T, it’s your duty. As MG Siegler from TechCrunch said, whatever you did in Austin for SXSW, you should be able to do for the entire country.
[Via: Cellular News, Straits Times, MIS Asia]