Vodafone Planning British HSDPA Rollout

Following successful testing in Newbury, Vodafone UK will start customer trials on its live HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) network from April. With 100 business users testing Vodafone UK's HSDPA-enabled Mobile Connect Cards across central and greater London, the trials represent an important milestone in the evolution of the company's 3G network. Customers within the M25 will be the first to benefit with coverage rolling out across all major UK towns and cities by the end of 2006.

Tim Miles, CEO Vodafone UK said: "The start of our high speed 3G broadband trial marks our relentless commitment to offering the best possible experience to our customers. We have seen high demand for 3G since its launch two years ago and our customers are hungry for the improvements that HSDPA will deliver. These important trials are part of a continuing drive to lead the UK through superior network performance and a customer experience that is second to none."

HSDPA will deliver a faster mobile broadband experience to Vodafone customers in the UK from mid-2006, initially offering the mobile transfer of data from the internet and intranet at roughly four times faster than current 3G speeds. It will also deliver greater capacity (three times that of current 3G levels) meaning that more people in the same location at the same time can benefit from a superior experience."

Posted to the site on 10th March 2006