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This news might have gone unnoticed for many of us but GSMA, the global trade group for the mobile industry, recently announced that the number of worldwide subscribers using 3G HSPA for mobile broadband has jumped from 11 mn about a year ago to 50 mn.

According to experts, HSPA (high speed packet access) networks, which have been around for almost two years now, give mobile phone or mobile notebook users a home wireline broadband experience. The big advantage with HSPA is that it comes from the GSM technology, and therefore, today controls almost 70% of mobile communications globally.

This technology attracts all categories of users, including youngsters and business users. HSPA allows mobile users to download email attachments, PowerPoint presentations or Web pages. The 3.6 Mbps network can download a typical music file of around 3 Mb in 8.3 seconds and a 5 Mb video clip in 13.9 seconds. Some HSPA networks claim over 14.4 Mbps speed, but most operators provide up to 3.6 Mbps. The rollout of 7.2 Mbps is also catching up.

Clearly, the demand for high-speed mobile networks among enterprise users, as well as consumers is growing much faster than expected. No wonder there are 191 operators having commercial HSPA networks, up and running. And this success is creating further economies of scale with more than 115 manufacturers already offering a range of products including mobiles, dongles, routers, and notebooks. And their prices are steadily dropping.

India, however, has not seen much in this area, except for Ericsson's Gramjyoti Rural Broadband Project across eighteen villages and fifteen towns in Tamil Nadu, in partnership with Apollo Hospitals, BSNL, and Bharti. Not much has been heard about Gramjyoti after its initial launch, which was an experiment to see if villagers can access services such as telemedicine, e-education, e-governance, online local information, voice and video call services, and live television. But at a time when 3G has been allowed, and mobile users, whether in cities or rural areas, are demanding more services beyond just voice, HSPA could take-off here as well. Those betting on WiMax must be watching closely.

Ibrhim Ahamad
ibrahima@cybermedia.co.in