The Largest Mobile Broadband Network in the World Launches in Australia

Australia has joined the increasing list of countries with 3G HSDPA high speed mobile networks, following the launch of Telstra's nationwide service, three months ahead of schedule. Telstra's HSDPA network is largest the network of its type, covering over one quarter of Australia's landmass and more than 98 percent of the population.

"Unprecedented economies of scale and a rich seam of experience in global mobile network planning and deployment have been integral to making this launch economically, commercially and technically possible in such a short time span," said Rob Conway CEO of the GSM Association. "It is hard to see how this could have been achieved by any other communication technology."

HSDPA is a software upgrade for 3G that delivers up to 5 times the data transfer rates of standard 3GSM (W-CDMA). Out of the 123 commercial 3GSM mobile networks available in 55 countries, more than half are HSDPA enabled, with 121 networks planning to deploy HSDPA.

Australia is the thirty-ninth country to use HSDPA and Telstra the sixty-fourth network to offer HSDPA based commercial services. Using the 850 MHz frequency band, Telstra will be able to cover a wider geographic area using W-CDMA plus HSDPA.

According to GSA - the Global mobile Suppliers Association - 18 suppliers have already launched over 58 HSDPA-enabled devices, with 16 of these devices operating in the 850 MHz frequency band.