Qtel Adds HSUPA Upgrade to its 3G Network

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) says that it has added HSUPA to its network - to boost the upload speed of its 3G network to around 1Mbps. The enhancement follows on from Qtel's upgrade to its national HSDPA to boost download speeds to 7.2 Mbps

Adel Al Mutawa, Executive Director, Group Communications said: "Qtel continues to embrace the latest technological advances in order to provide world-class services to our customers. The upgrade of Qtel's network to HSUPA marks another significant step in Qtel's journey towards its vision of a ‘Broadband Qatar' where simple and affordable high speed internet connectivity is available to everyone in Qatar."

"The delivery of broadband services has the ability to transform lives by connecting people both to their community and to the wider world at large. It underpins the country's drive to becoming a knowledge-based economy," he added.

HSUPA technology deploys an uplink enhanced dedicated channel, which supports faster transmission speeds. It is part of a wave of breakthrough technologies in telecommunications that are enabling higher capacity, faster speeds and more innovative deployment of the Internet.

Qtel is the incumbent operator. According to figures from the Mobile World, Qtel ended the first half of last year with 1.4 million customers, of which an estimated 330,000 were already using the 3G network.

Posted to the site on 15th February 2009