Qualcomm’s expertise in the radio space has once again been proven with the release of the MDM8225. It isn’t the sexiest name in the world, but it’s got full support for HSPA+ Release 9. What does that mean in English? It can do 84 Mbps download speeds using the cutting edge of what used to be called 3G technology, but can now officially be called 4G. Who’s going to even build a network that pushes out those types of speeds? T-Mobile is, though they haven’t announced when exactly they’re going to turn it on. It’ll be 2012, but does that mean early, mid, end? Anyway, T-Mobile is already in the process of lighting up 42 Mbps HSPA+ and we’ve seen leaks that show we’ll see USB modems capable of those ridiculously high speeds as early as next month.
“Dual-carrier HSPA+ has proven to be a popular standard with mobile network operators who are now looking to improve their wireless networks’ performance by adopting the latest version of the technology,” said Cristiano Amon, Senior Vice President of Product Management for Qualcomm. “Qualcomm’s new chipset will allow device OEMs to develop high-performance, low-power and small-form factor devices, such as USB modems or portable WiFi hotspots that take advantage of the higher data rates provided by HSPA+ Release 9. We are excited to be working with T-Mobile USA to deliver 84 Mbps HSPA+ capability in 2012 with the MDM8225.”
Expect to hear more about operators trying to squeeze every last bit out of HSPA+ because it’s frankly cheaper than upgrading to LTE equipment, and why wouldn’t you want to save your pennies for LTE-Advanced? That standard is supposed to do 1 Gbps down and 200 Mbps up, at least that’s what has been shown off in labs, but it’s going to be at least half a decade until commercial networks roll out.
[Image above of Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs]