Already offers 21Mbps speeds in Philadelphia

Nov 12, 2009 15:19 GMT  ·  By

T-Mobile USA's users have now yet another reason to rejoice, as their wireless carrier has announced plans to upgrade its entire 3G network in the country to offer them faster HSPA 7.2Mbps data speeds. Moreover, it seems that the good news does not end here, as the operator also intends to move to HSPA+ during 2010, which should result in download speeds of 21Mbps on its network.

While planning to offer upgraded speeds to its users, the carrier is reported to plan extending the reach of the 3G network to more areas before the end of the ongoing year. While, at the moment, the fourth largest operator in the United States can deliver 3G connectivity to a number of around 170 million people, it should be able to cover 200 million users before the year's end.

Both the extended coverage and the upgraded network speeds are to become available in 2009 to T-Mobile's users, who already enjoy a series of smartphones that come with support for the new speeds. According to the carrier, its Android-based handsets, namely the T-Mobile G1, myTouch 3G, Motorola CLIQ, and Samsung Behold II, come with support for HSPA, which is another reason to rejoice.

The faster HSPA+ technology is expected to be deployed by mid-2010, and the carrier seems set to deliver the upcoming speeds on its entire network. In case it manages to roll out the upgraded speeds as it intends to, it will offer some of the fastest data speeds available in the country. Other carriers have already announced plans to move to faster speeds, such as AT&T, yet it seems that the deployment will only be finished in 2011.

T-Mobile already managed to deliver the HSPA+ service in Philadelphia, and it aims at an aggressive network roll-out across the country, yet one should agree that it faces strong competition from the other thee large operators in the US. AT&T is moving towards HSPA+ too, Verizon plans on delivering LTE-based services next year, while Sprint already offers Wi-MAX connectivity in a variety of markets.