Australian mobile network operator Telstra will be the first in the world to deploy an eHSPA network, which can hit a peak of 21mbps downlink speed, at the end of year. The network will be called Next G.

Telstra is currently using Qualcomm's MDM8200 chipset-containing Ericsson products on their network. The peak speeds and network efficiency enabled by this evolution will encourage the development of more innovative applications and, importantly, increase our network capacity to support the explosion we are experiencing in wireless internet use,” said Mike Wright, Executive Director Telstra Wireless.

The event showed that amid a financial crisis over the world, technology isn't being affected at the moment, even though investors might disagree. Wireless connectivity is improving, and the thirst for higher speeds is being catered at an acceptable rate in some countries, although there are several countries in the world that do not possess 3G connectivity at all, which points out to a skewed growth towards developed and wealthy countries.

Press release after the break.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - October 06, 2008 - Marking the second anniversary of the opening of its Next G™ network, Telstra announced that its planned deployment of Enhanced HSPA (eHSPA) to the Next G™ wireless network is progressing on schedule, as connectivity testing between network infrastructure equipment and cellular device technology was successfully achieved. This milestone indicates that Australians using the Telstra network will be the first in the world to experience peak downlink speeds of 21Mbps by the end of the year.

Mike Wright, Executive Director Telstra Wireless, attended the world's first live demonstration of the eHSPA interoperability at Ericsson headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden.

“This is truly game-changing. Telstra has a proven history of investment in Australia's nation-wide, HSPA-enabled Next G™ network and this is our latest, very important step toward realising this technology,” Mr Wright said. “Practically speaking, our tests have shown that when combined with our planned rollout of Ethernet backhaul, this network will deliver truly high-speed connectivity on the move.”

Telstra's Next G™ wireless network, which was turned on October 6, 2006, is already the world's fastest national mobile broadband network, covering 99 per cent of the Australian population. eHSPA, also known as HSPA Evolved or HSPA+, is designed to enhance the mobile broadband user experience and enable a wide range of services. The interoperability test was performed on a wireless infrastructure network solution from Ericsson using Qualcomm's MDM8200™ product, the industry's first chipset solution to support eHSPA devices.

“The peak speeds and network efficiency enabled by this evolution will encourage the development of more innovative applications and, importantly, increase our network capacity to support the explosion we are experiencing in wireless internet use,” added Mr Wright.

Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson, said, “The demonstration is significant proof of the maturity of eHSPA technology. Ericsson is the market leader in introducing the latest HSPA network solutions in operator networks that give customers the best possible mobile broadband experience.”

“All the pieces are coming together to create a powerful eHSPA network that will help people connect to the things they care about on the Internet, whether it's for work or play,” said Alex Katouzian, vice president of product management, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. “In addition to higher peak rates, people will enjoy shorter response times and a better overall experience when using their mobile devices on the eHSPA network.”